Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2721832 1 Registered provider: Keys Child 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

A private company operates this home. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. All children were seen during the inspection and their views sought.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified.

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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: 6 November 2024

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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: 2721832 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2721832 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff and can identify those that they trust in the home. Staff are child focused and sensitive to the children’s needs. Staff work flexibly to ensure that children attend important appointments and are supported by trusted and familiar staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children in the home are making progress in their education, both at school and within the local groups they participate in. Staff actively encourage children to engage in community activities that align with their interests. Recently, the children celebrated these interests collectively by representing their groups at a local community event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is modern and spacious and has a large garden which provides a lot of opportunities for children to play and relax. Staff support children to be creative through storytelling and playing. Children’s craft creations and artwork is on display around the home, making it feel homely and encouraging children to be proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are preparing to move on from the home. The manager and staff are supporting children to learn the practical skills needed. Staff also prepare children emotionally for this change by sharing memory books and personalised stories to remind them of their journey and the staff who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in the home usually enjoy time together, but there have been occasional concerns about relationships. The manager has worked with other professionals and the children to offer independent support to the children and has made practical changes to the home to promote a more positive environment. The manager ensures that sufficient staff are available to support and listen to the children.

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

Staff keep children’s risk assessments under review, particularly after any incident. Risk assessments are detailed and guide staff in the best way to offer consistent support to help keep each child and keep them safe.

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

Staff are skilled at maintaining clear boundaries for children and use humour and empathy to remind children of expectations in the home. This helps children to feel safer in the home and supports their positive relationships with staff.

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

Staff use a variety of skills to help children stay safe when they become upset. On occasions when required, staff have physically intervened to help keep children safe. When this has occurred, it has been for the shortest time possible. After incidents, the manager reflects with the children and staff, and they learn from this reflection to avoid future incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2721832 4 The manager and staff in the home are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and are open and transparent with other professionals. When a child raises concerns, the staff are quick to act, and managers respond appropriately to keep children safe.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home, and on the rare occasion that they do, staff work closely with friends, family and the police to find them. After a missing-from-care episode staff speak to the child to offer support. They also arrange for an independent person to speak to the child and complete a return home interview. Staff talk to children about the potential risks if they do go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding and knowledge of the children who live in the home and their needs. The manager shares this knowledge with staff. The children feel confident in approaching the manager to share their views, because of the positive relationships that they have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recently returned from extended leave and has taken time to audit and reflect on the needs of the home, children and staff. The manager has identified areas which can be improved in the home. These findings have helped create a development plan for the home, and this is being actioned. The manager has restructured the staff team to support this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is therapeutic in their approach and has arranged bespoke training from the company’s therapy team for the staff. This has been delivered as refresher training alongside team discussions about the values and ethos of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager wants to be certain that all staff have the skills and knowledge to work with children in a trauma-informed way. Staff working in the home feel supported by the manager and value the training and the regular reflective supervision they have received. Staff speak highly of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose for the home does not set out all of the required information in schedule one and requires management oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2721832 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the statement of purpose as necessary and ensure that all requirements in Schedule One are met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5).

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2721832 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2721832 7 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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