Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Windsor and Maidenhead

Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 1 SC438624 Registered provider: Keys 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 organisation. It provides care for up to two children. The home is part of a cross-regional project, commissioned by four local authorities, which includes other homes and a school operated by the same organisation.

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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

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 07/03/2023 Full Good 29/09/2021 Full Good 06/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 3

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improvement to be good

The service is judged as required improvement due to significant shortfalls in ensuring children are making overall good progress. The shortfalls in the help and protection afforded to children and the leadership and management of the home affect the overall quality of care for the children.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not always promote education. For example, one child moved in six months ago and they are not in education. Staff have enrolled the child onto a programme to support their interest in music and poetry. Staff are unable to engage the child in structured routine that consistently supports and promotes their educational needs and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Conflict between children is not well managed. When one new child moved in, there was bullying between the children. Staff were unable to develop appropriate strategies to support the children in reducing their conflict. As a result, one child who had lived at the home for a long time moved out.

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improvement to be good

Moves for the children are not well planned. One child with complex needs moved in without the manager considering the needs of other children. This child then moved out at short notice without appropriate plans, resulting in a poor experience for the child with no opportunity to have a positive experience.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not promoted a healthy lifestyle with one child. The child’s plans from the local authority include a healthy eating and exercise plan. Staff have failed to implement this plan and the child’s health is not improving.

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improvement to be good

One child has benefited from a long period living in the home and has made good progress. Staff have worked successfully, ensuring the child is achieving well at college; their health needs are met and they are developing independence skills. The child said: ‘I like it here. There have been lots of changes. I am not sure if staff get me, but I am working on my communication with staff.’

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improvement to be good

Help and protection provided to the children are not consistently good enough. Managers and staff can identify risks. However, they are not able to implement a child- centred plan that reduces risks for children. Staff record risks well, such as self-harm. They seek external support when required. The managers do not ensure that there is learning from incidents and that practice is changed to reduce risks for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 4 When the children do not follow house rules, staff use consequences. Staff do not record these formally. Staff do not provide effective support to help the children understand the rationale of the consequence. As a result, there is no learning for the children.

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improvement to be good

The children are missing from home regularly. Staff are not proactive when children are missing from home. Staff do follow the procedures to make sure children return home. Managers do not ensure that there is learning following incidents to improve practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not effective in helping the children when they are distressed. Staff do not reduce risks for the children effectively. Staff do not record incidents well enough to inform management oversight and changes to practice. Staff have not always been successful in developing positive relationships with the children to help them manage their difficult feelings.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular searches of the children’s rooms and possessions. The records of these searches completed by staff are poor. The rationale for staff conducting these searches does not have oversight and scrutiny by managers.

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improvement to be good

Staff keep the children safe online. Effective systems are in place to keep the children safe online. The staff responded well when the children complained they were being bullied online. Staff educate children about staying safe online when children are identified as being at risk.

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improvement to be good

Managers complete investigations into allegations appropriately. They share allegations promptly with relevant agencies in accordance with statutory guidance.

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improvement to be good

One child can identify a trusted adult they can talk to about any concerns. The child has written poems and music lyrics detailing the effective support they receive from staff.

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

Management oversight is not always clear or effective. Staff do not record serious incidents clearly, and leaders and managers do not have oversight of risk management. Managers do not learn from practice and feedback to improve the experiences and care of children. For example, two children’s placements ended due to inappropriate matching. There has been no learning from the children’s poor experiences.

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

Staff do not make entries in the children’s records that reflect the care provided to them. These records do not reflect the children’s achievements or aspirations for the future. One child’s plans did not reflect their dietary and physical health needs. This limits staff understanding of the children’s needs and the children’s ability to contribute to their records. Case records for children who have moved on are not stored safely. Records are kept in a damp environment, which results in them being damaged.

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

Staff receive regular training and development, but this is not effective. For example, staff know how to respond to children who are missing from home, but are not able to Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 5 support children proactively to reduce occurrences. Learning from training is not evaluated by managers to ensure that it leads to effective practice.

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

The physical environment is not well maintained. Managers have not ensured that damage to a child’s bedroom blinds and the children’s bathtub panel has been repaired.

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

Managers and staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. However, the quality of this supervision is not good. It is not focused on children’s experiences, needs and plans. This limits staff development and understanding of the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 6 April 2025

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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

promotes their welfare. 6 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 7 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

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)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, prompt attention must be given to areas of the home needing renovation, redecoration or repair.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must monitor and scrutinise the children’s records to ensure that the practice of staff is improving.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 6 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 8 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

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy for the prevention of bullying in the home, which must in particular set out the procedure for dealing with an allegation of bullying. (Regulation 34 (3)) 6 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children’s records must be stored in a location which ensures that they are kept safe from damage. 21 April 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff 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 Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision of their practice 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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 9 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: SC438624 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Pinsent Masons Llp, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT1 3LP

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Inspector

Shaheda Dhandia, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 11 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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