Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 1 SC421063 Registered provider: Keys Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since 31 October 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Outstanding 27/02/2023 Full Outstanding 28/09/2021 Full Good 26/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy nurturing relationships with staff, and the staff care about them. Staff have a good understanding of children and their individual needs and are committed to supporting them. These relationships help children to feel settled and to make progress from their own starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are valued. They know how to make a complaint and are able to talk to staff about concerns or worries. Children are frequently consulted about a variety of topics, such as their own plans, activities or changes in the home. This helps children to feel heard and that their views matter.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortably furnished and child friendly. Children and the activities that they take part in are showcased in photographs in the communal areas. Children are supported by staff in age-appropriate ways to personalise and look after their bedrooms. This helps children to feel settled and at home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff with their education and learning. Staff work hard with children and partner agencies to support children’s progress in school or college, address difficulties and to arrange alternatives if needed. One child, who moved into the home since the last inspection and had not been in school, is now attending and building up to being in school full time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s important relationships are promoted in line with their care plans and wishes. Staff work well with children, family members and placing authorities to support family time and make sure that arrangements are safe and positive. This helps children’s sense of identity and their ability to maintain relationships that are important to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show interest in children and devote time to them. Regular one-to-one sessions provide children with support around a range of things they need help with. This can include support to manage their emotions, online safety and developing independence skills. This helps children to feel cared for and approach challenges in their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to pursue their goals and behave positively. Reward and incentive systems are well embedded and understood by children. Their progress and achievements are lovingly captured in ‘positives books’ which help children to see what they have achieved, and which provide them with a child-friendly record for later life. One professional said, ‘They are doing a wonderful job providing [child’s name] with memories and fun times.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities well. They are guided by individual risk assessments and safety plans. However, these are variable in their quality and not all known risks have been addressed with the same level of urgency or consistency as other risks. For instance, the response to risks such as self-harm, a child’s interest in weapons and managing behaviours that challenge are generally well managed. However, there have been a few instances where children have left the home at night without staff being aware. This has resulted in the children being returned to the home by police, and it is at this point that staff have become aware of the situation. The measures taken following these incidents to mitigate reoccurrence have not been fully effective. This is because guidance for staff to follow to reduce these risks is not clear enough and this has left children vulnerable on occasion.

p.4

improvement to be good

The response to a child smoking in their bedroom has also not been addressed consistently. For instance, some staff will remove a lighter from the child’s bedroom while others do not. Although work is being done by staff to support the child in terms of their health and the impact of smoking, the risks of a child having a lighter in their bedroom has not been fully realised by all staff and managers. Consequently, there is inconsistency in how staff manage these risks, and there have been missed opportunities to consider the support or training staff may need.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers and staff liaise with other professionals to discuss incidents and review safety, and support plans and relevant educational work is carried out with children. Input from the provider’s own specialist workers supports this process. This helps children to feel safe and means that the majority of risks are managed well.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children have been identified as being missing from the home staff take appropriate action. They follow children’s individual protocols, are proactive in looking for them and communicate effectively with other agencies, such as police. There is prompt management oversight and follow-up discussions with children to inform how they are supported. Managers always request return home interviews and chase the placing authority if needed. This has helped to reduce the risk of children going missing from the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers make sure that concerns about staff practice or conduct are thoroughly followed up in liaison with other relevant agencies, such as the local authority designated officer. Where appropriate, staff are supported to learn and improve practice.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff and managers ensure that all required assessments and checks are carried out in relation to health and safety. This helps to make sure the home is as safe as possible.

p.4

improvement to be good

Before new staff come to work in the home, managers carry out a range of safer recruitment checks. However, managers do not consistently ensure that they verify with previous employers the reason why an individual left a pervious care role. This means that information relevant to the safety of children could be missed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home currently does not have a registered manager. There are suitable short-term management arrangements in place and the interim manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The manager and their deputy are enthusiastic about their roles and the children they care for. They have a good understanding of children, of the needs and strengths of the service and are open to reflection, feedback and learning. This supports a positive culture in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported and are positive about their roles. They receive regular individual supervision and appraisals in line with company policy. Staff report that managers are flexible and available when needed. Team meetings are used creatively to aid learning, and there is good attention to team morale and staff well-being. There is a strong culture of reflection, supported by regular input from the home’s therapist. This all helps to ensure children receive care from resilient staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are required to complete a range of relevant mandatory training in line with the company’s statement of purpose. This is supplemented by bespoke training and tailored input from the provider’s specialist workers in relation to children’s changing needs. Most staff are up to date with required training. However there have been some delays in enrolling staff for the relevant qualifications and in some staff completing training.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand the importance of consistency for children. Although there have been significant changes in staffing since the last inspection these have been well managed. Staff who work in other homes within the organisation, and who are known to the children, are sometimes used to supplement the core team. This has led to minimal use of agency staff. This supports children to have secure relationships and receive care from a consistent team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have close working relationships with managers in local authorities which aid oversight, monitoring of patterns and consideration of referrals. This promotes effective care planning, which is evidenced by the long-term stability of children’s placements.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have good working relationships with other agencies. Social care professionals share positive feedback about staff practice and the progress of children. These relationships help children to receive coordinated care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements 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;

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

p.6

Requirements Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that safety plans in relation to children smoking and leaving the home without staff’s knowledge provide clear and up-to-date guidance, that they are understood by staff and that there is consistent management oversight of how these risks are managed. 8 April 2025

p.6

Requirements Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirements Due date

The registered person may only— 8 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 7 employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.6

Requirements Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

p.7

Requirements Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) In particular, the registered person must ensure that, if a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, there is verification, so far as reasonably practicable, of the reason why the employment ended.

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff remain up to date with mandatory training and are enrolled on relevant qualifications in a timely fashion. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

p.7

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: SC421063 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Jacob Robson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC421063 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9