Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 1 SC020606 Registered provider: Keys Nhcc Ltd

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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 privately owned. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2019.

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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 outstanding

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2024 Full Outstanding 13/12/2022 Full Outstanding 20/07/2021 Full Good 11/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of inspection, three children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and one child has moved out. Managers undertake excellent planning when it comes to children moving to and from the home, which includes detailed assessments of how children’s needs can be best met. The children participate in planning their moves and their wishes and feelings are considered to ensure moves are right for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a safe and loving environment for children. It is decorated to a high standard and children’s bedrooms are personalised. Children have been consulted about how the home looks and changes they wish to make, and these have been implemented. This helps increase feelings of comfort and belonging for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive and trusting relationships with staff, who provide quality care and support in all areas of their lives. Children said that staff are kind and caring and that they enjoy living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good support for children’s education. Two children are in full-time education and professional feedback is extremely positive. Education staff said that the change in the children has been ‘phenomenal’ and that this is due ‘to the care that is provided at the home.’ One child is not currently in any education, training or employment due to not enjoying the apprenticeship that was secured with support by staff. Staff are working with a range of professionals to support the child in identifying other learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to explore a range of hobbies and interests. Children take part in clubs and activities, such as football, kickboxing, swimming and basketball. Children enjoy doing activities together and on their own. Recently, they enjoyed a summer holiday together, which they thoroughly enjoyed and made lots of memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are also encouraged to learn about diverse cultures and religions, such as Sikhism and Gypsy and Romany culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are gathered in a variety of ways and influence changes in how staff care for them. An example of this was the implementation of emotional well-being charts which use emojis so that children can express what they are feeling at times when they are not able to communicate this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend positive and quality time with their families. Family members are welcomed into the home and staff build positive, trusting relationships with family members. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 4 Children are supported by the company’s therapeutic team, which enhances staff’s ability to meet their complex needs. The children have regular assessments by the clinical team to ensure that the therapeutic parenting that they are receiving is right for them and having a positive impact.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs. Individual care and support plans are regularly updated and incorporate therapeutic assessments completed by the clinical team. Children are supported to be a part of their care planning and participate in their meetings and reviews. As a result, children feel involved and valued.

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

Staff complete clear risk assessments and strong support plans for children. These are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain appropriate to meet the needs of children and provide up-to-date strategies for staff to keep them safe. Staff have a clear understanding of individual risks to children and have a caring and consistent approach to how to manage them.

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

When physical restraint is used with children, this is always used as a last resort and has been appropriate and proportionate. Staff are creative with de-escalation techniques and use children’s individual support plans to manage behaviours. The registered manager’s oversight of these incidents is strong, and she ensures that any learning identified is embedded in practice. Debriefs with children and staff are of good quality and children are supported around their emotions and how to develop better coping mechanisms.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been some incidents of children going missing from home. Generally, staff follow protocol and this helps safely return children to the home. However, on two occasions a child has been missing without staff knowing for a significant period. Failures to ensure children are supervised effectively has left them at risk. The registered manager has undertaken effective analysis of these incidents and has provided robust safety plans to manage the risks and minimise the risk incidents being repeated.

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

Children and staff are confident in making complaints and these are dealt with in a timely and empathetic way. Children’s wishes and feelings are gathered throughout investigations, and they were happy with the outcomes. One complaint made by a child about their peer was managed extremely well, with restorative support given which has had a positive impact on their relationship.

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

There has been one incident where a staff member acted in an unsafe way towards a child. Immediate safeguarding measures were implemented by the registered manager and a thorough investigation was completed. This ensured the safety and well-being of children in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is highly skilled and enthusiastic about providing the best possible care for children. She is supported by an experienced deputy manager who shares the same drive and commitment for the children in their care. Staff feel highly valued by the management team and provide high-quality care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has strong and positive relationships with professionals and family members of children. This helps lead to children making progress in their lives. Feedback from professionals and parents is highly complimentary of the registered manager and staff, especially about how staff advocate for the wishes and feelings of children to ensure the best decisions are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has excellent oversight and monitoring of children’s care, staff and the home, which ensures safe and consistent care for children. The home has experienced some staff changes, but this has been well managed by the registered manager and her deputy, who have safely recruited new staff. These staff have completed a comprehensive induction and probationary period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have regular, reflective supervision sessions in which development is promoted. Team meetings are a particular strength, where research is used to promote staff development. This has included further learning around trauma language and attachment theory. Staff are extremely positive about these meetings and feel they have a direct impact on the high level of care that children experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has strong relationships with children which allow her to have a full understanding of their lived experiences. She is a strong advocate for children. She has fought for one child to gain a personal adviser and pathway plan so that they can successfully transition to a semi-independent setting. This is now in place and the child has expressed gratitude for this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is aware of the strengths and development needs of the home and is clear on how to make improvements. Children’s views and ideas are threaded throughout all these plans and have positively impacted on their experiances and progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff always respond to children appropriately and in line with the home’s statement of purpose and individual plans. 23 February 2025

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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: SC020606 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Third Floor, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020606 8 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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