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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 1 SC454901

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Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It provides care for up to five children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. There is an acting manager who supported the inspection.

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Inspection date: 29 January 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have failed to safeguard children adequately. Failure to follow safeguarding procedures and work effectively with the network of professionals has resulted in significant harm to a child.

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Findings from the inspection

Significant risks associated with the children’s behaviour and safeguarding procedures are not adequately understood by the staff team. Leaders have failed to implement sufficient training and support with knowledge in this area. This means staff do not have the required knowledge and skills to support children with their behaviour.

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Findings from the inspection

Risk management plans are not reviewed or updated sufficiently following incidents. This prevents the workforce from managing children’s behaviour effectively as they do not have accurate information. There has been a lack of professional curiosity and a complacency in protecting children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children do not live in a homely environment. A child’s bedroom was not maintained to a safe standard. The home requires maintenance and repair in multiple areas to provide children with an environment that promotes their welfare. Other health and safety issues have not been rectified. For example, a hole in the wall exposes a water stop cap and wires. This is unpleasant for children and not in keeping with a homely safe environment.

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Findings from the inspection

Management oversight of the home has not been effective. There is no registered manager currently and multiple changes in management have taken place over the last year. Sufficient support has not been provided by senior leaders for the acting manager. This has resulted in crucial information not being shared, having an impact on the safety of children.

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Findings from the inspection

A lack of professional supervision for staff limits opportunities for the workforce to develop and improve practice. There are missed opportunities to reflect and learn together, particularly following significant incidents and challenging periods. Managers do not consistently hold debrief discussions with staff following significant incidents and physical intervention. This further prevents an opportunity to improve care for children.

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Findings from the inspection

When allegations are made, robust investigations are not carried out. Records of such investigations are not detailed and lack purpose. This has led to prolonged harm to a child. Professionals have not been informed of allegations made by a child. This prevents the required professionals making an evaluation of children’s safety. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 3 Managers do not consistently hold debrief discussions with staff following significant incidents and physical intervention. This further prevents an opportunity to improve care for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to make progress against identified breaches in regulation. Statutory requirements made at the last inspection in August 2024 have not been met. This demonstrates the provider’s inability to make improvements in a timely manner to keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Senior leaders were supportive of the assurance inspection and subsequent findings. An immediate action plan was devised to provide assurances of immediate improvements. As a result of this inspection, the regulator has issued two compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice, preventing any further children from living at the setting. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/11/2022 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; 12 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 6 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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments are regularly reviewed to evaluate current behaviours for children. Staff should be aware of actions to take to keep children safe. Safeguarding protocols must be followed robustly to keep children safe from harm.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)) 12 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 7 This specifically applies to ensuring there is an experienced manager registered in post with clear oversight and monitoring systems in place to ensure the safe care of children. Clear processes for following serious incidents must be robust. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff have completed all training, particularly for children with specific needs, and have the knowledge and skills to support children.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)) 12 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 8 This specifically relates to ensuring that children are attending children’s meetings in line with the home’s statement of purpose and are given the opportunity to consult and feed back on the care and support they receive.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring the network around all the children living in the home is aware of concerns and part of effective planning to ensure safeguarding and the support for children. 12 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 12 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 9 a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that monitoring of physical intervention is completed, outlining the appropriateness of the intervention used. Debriefs must be conducted with staff and children and information used to improve practice.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 12 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 10 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to notifications of allegations and serious incidents completed to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. 12 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 11 (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the independent visit is completed and a report sent to Ofsted within a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to there being no manager registered in post; responsibility for rectifying this situation lies with the responsible individual. There have been delays in acting on the apparent concerns and shortfalls on the part of the responsible individual. 12 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be 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. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  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. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, for example teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 12

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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: Third Floor, Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector

Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC454901 13 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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