Children's Home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 1 SC481312 Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services 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

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to three children with complex emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection, who were present and spoken to.

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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: SC481312 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2024 Full Good 28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Outstanding 02/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is a good home, which is welcoming and homely. Staff have created a family atmosphere for children. Children have personalised their rooms and have been involved in the decor and furnishings within the home, which promotes their feelings of belonging and well-being. Children have shared that they are happy living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out and two children have moved into the home. Children have had successful transitions to and from the home, which have allowed them to settle quickly and feel supported. The children that moved into the home were moved in quickly. However, the manager and staff worked with the placing authorities to ensure that children were supported with their moves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have formed strong and positive relationships with children, which children have said are important to them. Children say that they are well supported and cared for by staff, which makes them feel safe and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager ensures that children have individual support plans that children are encouraged to contribute to. This enables staff to provide consistent care for children, which is ensuring they are making progress in their lives. One social worker said that one child ‘has come a long way and is settled, which is a big achievement’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff complete individual direct work sessions with children to further support their needs. These are happening on a regular basis and are of good quality. However, staff are not consistent in the way that these are written and do not always provide an evaluation of the impact of the session on children and follow-up actions to ensure that the support remains appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are in full-time education and are well supported by staff. One child is not in formal education and is being home schooled with the support of a tutor until they start their new school. However, the manager and staff have not ensured that the child has an education support plan and are promoting education effectively within the home. This lack of support has had an impact on the child’s progress. The manager and staff have also not ensured that there is a clear plan in place with the new education provision to support the child’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, staff and children raised that staffing ratios within the home can sometimes be low. While there is no direct impact on children’s safety, this impacts on staff’s ability to support and promote some activities and hobbies for the children. One child said that this can be frustrating and disappointing. The manager is aware of this shortfall and is taking action. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 4

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

Staff are confident and have the skills and knowledge to keep children safe. They use their positive relationships with children to help them manage situations and incidents well. Staff are providing consistent support and boundaries. As a result, there has been a reduction in incidents and children have shared that they feel safe and secure.

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

The registered manager regularly updates children’s individualised risk assessments and support plans. Staff are confident in supporting children in line with their care plans. Also, staff provide consistent care that has helped children to better understand their emotions and express them in a healthier way. These systems are further enhanced by the provider’s therapeutic team, which provides support for both staff and children.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. There have been two missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection for one child, which took place at school. Staff followed the child’s protocol, and the child was returned home safely and supported effectively.

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

There have been incidents of self-injurious behaviour for children since the last inspection. The registered manager has implemented thorough and research- informed plans to support children when in crisis. Staff follow these plans well, and this has led to a reduction in incidents and risk for these children.

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

Door alarms are used within the home for one child. However, the reasons for this being in place were not clearly recorded within the child’s risk assessment or support plan. This meant that the measure had also not been reviewed to ensure it remained appropriate. This was addressed during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the children’s needs and promotes a supportive and loving culture. They are supported well by a deputy manager and senior leaders, and they all share the same caring ethos and aspirations for children. This creates a loving and supportive environment for children living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the registered manager. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision to further enhance their practice and learning. They are suitably trained and speak highly of the training they receive. Staff are further supported by the clinical team and single-subject discussions with the manager to enhance their learning. This supports the therapeutic care provided to children and helps to have a positive impact on children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff share positive relationships with professionals and children’s family members. This ensures that children receive the right care and Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 5 support. One professional said, ‘There is great communication between us; they have a willingness to develop their understanding of children and effective management of concerns. There is nothing I can think of on how they can improve.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the registered manager has good monitoring and review systems in place. These systems help to enhance his oversight of the care and support that children receive. His evaluation of written documents and incidents is generally good. However, this oversight and evaluation does not always consider or understand the full impact on children’s care. Furthermore, it does not consider children’s wishes and feelings when decisions are made about their care planning. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have an education plan during weekdays and planned support for transition to new provisions. 3 July 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

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; 3 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 7 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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; 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)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should consider the impact of the care provided by staff, along with children’s wishes and feelings, to inform the development of the quality of care. Also, the registered person should ensure that there are enough staff to meet the needs of children within the home and to enable them to participate in activities and hobbies outside of the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, records of direct work with children should be clear to help understand the benefit of work being completed and being clear on next steps to ensure progress for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC481312 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481312 9 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 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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