Children's Home run by Keswick Care Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 1 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home, and the inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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: 1183197 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 19/06/2023 Full Good 08/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak of being happy living in the home and how they have positive relationships with staff. They enjoy going on exciting day trips and activities, including going to the seaside, go-karting, horse riding and boxing. The children are also involved in planning a holiday abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have strong and caring relationships with staff. The children share positive memories of their time spent with staff, and one child has captured their memories in videos titled ‘family and home’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have identified that one child benefits from information being shared through text messaging. The introduction of this method of communication has created more open discussions and enabled information-sharing and consultation with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are going to school, and there are clear plans to increase their timetables and learning opportunities. The staff have good relationships with the education providers and are working together to support the children’s educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. The children are encouraged to help staff with cooking, shopping and the cleaning of their own bedrooms. Children also learn about appointment booking, money management and home maintenance. The development of these life skills is detailed and planned through the provider’s ‘independence skills programme’. Children have moved out of the home and into semi- independent living with the skills to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have identified health needs, they are supported by staff to attend all necessary appointments and engage in healthcare routines. The staff have used private therapists to access assessments and diagnoses for children. This enables care plans to be introduced that represent the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are planned well. Before their move, children have the opportunity to meet staff and share their wishes and feelings, including their likes and dislikes. Staff use this information to welcome children into the home with their own personalised welcome basket. Children are also supported to personalise their own bedroom space as soon as they feel ready.

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

Children whose risks include drug and alcohol misuse have individualised care plans and risk assessments. Staff have carried out specialised training to inform their knowledge and ability to respond effectively to these presenting risks. The plans help staff to support the children to develop the skills to minimise their access to these substances, Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 4 and the risk of harm is reducing. Children are referred to specialist drug and alcohol services, and staff encourage them to access this support.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond in line with the children’s care plans. When children are found, they are welcomed home. Children are encouraged to talk about their time away from the home with an independent professional. Staff engage children in many supportive conversations to help them understand and mitigate the risks to children. Children are also helped to develop their skills and knowledge around the risks of being missing from home, and these discussions are individualised and sympathetic.

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

Children can express their needs and frustrations without concern about the response from staff. Staff understand that children’s past experiences can influence their behavioural responses, and they respond to children in a caring and supportive way. There are clear techniques for the staff to use to manage any escalation in behaviours, and they frequently praise children for positive behaviour and experiences.

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

Children have made complaints regarding the care they receive and regarding their peers. These complaints are responded to quickly by the staff. Children receive timely and clear responses, both to acknowledge their complaint and to inform them of the outcomes to their concerns. The children spoke positively about the outcomes of their complaints and said they ‘felt listened to’.

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

Recruitment of staff is carried out in a planned and child-focused way. Clear processes are followed to ensure that staff are recruited safely and are able to meet the children’s needs. When concerns about staff are raised by the children or others, these are escalated to the correct professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good knowledge of the children in her care. There are effective working relationships between the manager, the deputy manager and the staff team, which create a supportive working environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s knowledge of local services and links to professionals means she can access the necessary support for children. The manager has adapted training courses so that staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand their role and responsibilities and demonstrate a good knowledge of whistle-blowing, complaints and safeguarding processes. Staff are very positive about the role they play in the care and progress of the children. They feel involved in the decision-making that informs the quality of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervision sessions, and the children are the focus of these discussions. Staff speak positively about their supervision experience and the support Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 5 from managers. They say that this is a safe space to reflect on their practice and explore their learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings have been adapted to help the staff to feel comfortable to share and reflect on the care offered to children. The team meetings are educational, focused and supportive. The meetings are well attended, and external professionals and the therapeutic team use this reflective space to provide guidance and support practice development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There were no requirements or recommendations made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 6

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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: 1183197 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 17 Cedars Business Centre, Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, Pontefract WF9 4PU

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Inspector

Rachel Moore, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1183197 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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