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 is a privately own children’s home that is registered to provide care for two children aged between 11 and 17. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 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

Date of last inspection: 4 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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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

04/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 07/03/2023 Full Good 29/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The same children have lived in the home since the last inspection in February 2025. Children have developed positive relationships with staff and see this as their home. Both children say that staff help them with their day-to-day routines and worries. There is playfulness and laughter, and children engage in shared activities with staff, such as cooking. Children enjoy staff’s company. One child hugged the manager when they returned from school. The manager reacted with reciprocity and genuine interest in how the child’s day went.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively implement the provider’s chosen model of care to address unwanted behaviours. Staff’s firm boundaries in conjunction with empathetic and nurturing responses support the children to better manage their behaviours and improve their self-confidence. One child said about living in this home that, ‘I feel it’s just right, for me anyway.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are in education. One child is supported to consider their future options. The other child is now attending school every day, which is significant progress. The school gave positive feedback about staff’s ability to promote children’s education, their individualised plans and making referrals to explore one child’s neurodiversity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is due to move into independent accommodation in the next few months. The manager has advocated with the child’s social worker for the move to be at child’s pace and with limited impact on their education and well-being. The child has made good progress since living at the home, in terms of their education, independence, managing emotions and developing social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend their health appointments. There has been progress in how staff promote a healthy lifestyle with the children. The manager has a multi- agency approach. She consults with the social worker, looked-after children’s nurse, the internal psychologist and staff. Staff organise activities that involve sports and outdoor activities. The children are consulted about healthier food options and preferences. A weekly menu has been implemented, and the children contribute to planning this and cooking some of the meals. School staff identified progress with a child’s healthy lifestyle, saying that staff ‘look after their physical well-being and ensure that a healthy diet is being adhered to’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel listened to and can freely voice their views about their care plans or the day-to-day running of the home. One child said they find the ‘Our voices meetings’ helpful. Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 4

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

Managers and staff can identify risks and are able to implement child-centred plans in times of crisis. When there was an incident of a safeguarding nature between the two children in the home, staff acted promptly. There is evidence that staff have learned from previous experiences and ensured that both children’s needs were considered. The children were able to identify reasons behind their own behaviour and expressed their wishes and feelings moving forward. The responsible individual supported the manager to reflect and make evidence-informed decisions. Safety plans were put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening. Staff were prepared to manage any possible conflict between the children. This helped both children to feel protected, and their behaviours were understood by staff.

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

The manager has a multi-agency safeguarding approach. The risk assessments are robust and are based on the children’s individual vulnerabilities, needs and views. These guide staff to identify the best way to protect and support children. Staff have worked hard to enhance their safeguarding knowledge and to learn new techniques of managing the children’s behaviours.

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

There has been a reduction in the missing-from-home incidents. Staff have regular consultation meetings with internal specialists. These are reflective and consider individualised strategies to protect and support the children. The key-work sessions support the children to overcome their emotional difficulties, as well as learn from incidents.

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

Children can identify more than one trusted adult to speak with when distressed or worried. Both children provided positive feedback about the help they receive from staff.

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

The records of safeguarding incidents, children’s views and immediate action taken are clear and well recorded. However, staff’s recording of the longer-term interventions and support is not reflective enough and does not include an analysis of the children’s wishes, feelings, reactions and child impact. The management oversight and reflections are not always recorded within the required timescales. This affects the accuracy of the records, and it can be difficult to understand the learning from events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and returned to her role in March 2025. She has high aspirations for the children and staff. Staff’s feedback is that the manager ‘goes above and beyond’ to support children and ‘she holds us to high standards and will support us to achieve our goals’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked hard to address the shortfalls identified in the previous inspection. New and refresher training was put in place to support staff in how to better identify risks and meet the children’s needs. Staff can identify learning from Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 5 the training and how to apply this into practice. New staff are keen to learn how to ‘get it right’ for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is up to date, and the quality of supervision has improved. Staff talk positively about the learning and support they receive during these sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements from the previous inspection have been met. As a result, the practice in relation to safeguarding, reflecting and learning from incidents, promoting children’s health and education has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recording needs to improve further. The manager is aware of the staff’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager has clear plans and good monitoring systems in place to address these shortfalls. She is supported by the deputy manager and the responsible individual to implement these. Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, reflections and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This should include timely recording of management oversight and reflections following significant events. (‘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: SC438624 7

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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

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC438624 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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