Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 1 SC020594 Registered provider: Keys Education 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 is a privately owned children’s home that is registered to provide care for up to eight children. It offers a programme for up to 24 weeks to children who are in crisis. The programme includes children engaging in activities and staying in off-site accommodation. Ofsted does not inspect all of the accommodation used. However, the company is required to carry out its own risk assessments for each accommodation.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous manager left the service in December 2024. The current manager has been in post since this time and has not yet submitted their application for registration to Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in the home at the time of inspection. The main home was visited alongside two of the off-site accommodations, in order to meet with children.

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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 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: SC020594 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Good 28/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not stay at the main house for all of their stay. Children stay in a variety of off-site accommodation with staff so that they can participate in a wide variety of activities. All accommodation is assessed for suitability by the manager and risk assessments are in place. Management oversight of all accommodation used takes place weekly either by an in-person visit or via a virtual tour. This ensures the ongoing suitability of the accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual needs are considered well when they move to the home. Decisions around the children who move into the home consider their risks and vulnerabilities and whether staff can effectively manage these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build trusting and respectful relationships with children. These positive relationships mean that many children make progress and are positive about their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the children have been out of education for some time. Staff are suitably qualified to help children to complete assessments to gain qualifications. The provider is registered with education and assessment providers for this purpose. In the last 12 months, staff have supported 10 children to achieve their level 2 extended certificate in personal development and employability skills and a level 1 award in personal resilience. Children see education and learning as a positive, which helps them to achieve in this area of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are dedicated to providing children with new experiences. Children are supported to engage in a wide range of outdoor activities, which help them to learn new skills. Children enjoy the challenge that these activities bring. As a result, their confidence has increased. In addition, children are supported to attend the gym, yoga classes and horse riding, as well as develop age-appropriate independence skills.

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

The high level of staff supervision provided to the children ensures that they are kept safe. Staff understand the children and their levels of risk and needs. This understanding helps to ensure that children’s risks reduce.

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

Children’s parents said that their children are kept safe. The children’s risk assessments provide a clear overview of all their identified needs and their behaviours. Furthermore, the children’s behaviour management plans identify the different strategies that the staff should use to manage the children’s presenting behaviours. Staff work in line with these strategies and, as a result, they manage risks well when they occur.

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

On some occasions, physical interventions have been used in order to keep children safe. When they do occur, children are supported to understand why staff have needed to Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 4 hold them. However, some records of these incidents do not record staff who had observed the intervention. In addition, debriefs with staff do not always take place within the required time frame. Although children are always spoken to, this is sometimes outside the required period.

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

There have been some incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff are proactive in reporting children as missing, searching for them and working in partnership with other agencies, such as the police, to try to locate them. The manager has excellent oversight of these incidents, and any learning from them is promptly actioned to ensure continuity of care for the children.

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

Staff use communication materials to help the children understand behaviours that can place them at risk. Individual sessions are repeated with children to reinforce these important messages. Staff are creative in the work they complete with children and, as a result, children actively engage with them and risks reduce from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager is embedding a culture of high aspirations for both the children and staff. The manager is new to the role but has previously worked in the home as a deputy manager and knows the service well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious and has high expectations of the staff. She will challenge staff constructively when their practice requires this, to ensure that good care is being delivered to the children. Importantly, the interim manager learns from incidents and implements guidance for the staff when needed, which helps to ensure continuous improvement in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers and say that senior managers are present and accessible. Staff, including any agency workers, receive meaningful and regular supervision sessions. Staff feel that their views and ideas are welcomed and that they contribute to a whole-team approach to the children’s care. A crucial element of this is the access to specialist training around exploitation that staff have. This helps staff to feel confident in understanding and meeting the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consistently monitors the quality of care provided to the children. There are effective systems in place to maintain oversight of the home, allowing managers to identify strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the off-site accommodation used is now reviewed and monitored each month, which ensures that its suitability remains a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor makes monthly visits to the home. These visits take place over two days. The independent visitor documents the progress of the children, visits the children in the off-site accommodation, speaks with all children either face to face or virtually and provides a comprehensive overview of the service provided. Any shortfalls identified during these visits are promptly responded to by the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 5 Partner agencies say that they are happy with the care provided to the children by staff and speak highly of the positive communication they receive. Managers advocate on children’s behalf and share relevant information to keep professionals well informed of children’s progress. One social worker said, ‘It is lovely to see [name of child] making progress; staff are supporting her to share her wishes and feelings. It is a really good place.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 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

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

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

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

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)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that all people who are involved in, or witness, an incident of restraint are named in the record and are spoken to within 48 hours of the incident, and that children are spoken to within five days of the restraint. 3 April 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: SC020594 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Agata Dokszewicz

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Inspectors

Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020594 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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