Children's home run by Keys Direct Care Limited in Southend-on-Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 1 SC028174 Registered provider: Keys Direct Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector observed and spoke to all three children. Children told the inspector about their experiences of living at the home. These were shared with the manager, who took action to keep the children safe.

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Information about this children’s home

During this inspection, the inspector was aware that a serious incident that occurred at the setting since the last inspection is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2024 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/07/2022 Full Good 07/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 3

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, well maintained by staff and thoughtfully personalised to meet the individual needs of children. Staff have created a dedicated sensory space to support children’s emotional well-being. Throughout the home, staff have displayed photos capturing positive shared experiences between children and staff. This helps to create a memory-rich environment. Staff help children feel at home by supporting pet ownership and encouraging visits from friends. One child has pet rats, while another has pet guinea pigs.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to move into the home in a well-planned and thoughtful way. The manager involves the children already living at the home in the decision-making process. Input from the wider professional network is also sought before a child moves in. When a child arrives, staff make them feel welcome by decorating their room, providing essential items and considering their cultural needs. Staff recognise the importance of family time for children. Maintaining family connections helps children feel secure, promotes emotional well-being and supports their identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff aim to build positive relationships with children. They offer a wide range of activities, including roller skating, swimming, pamper evenings and holidays. Staff have demonstrated a secure and trusting relationship with one child. However, other children report feeling unheard or unsupported. Challenging team dynamics, including conflict between staff, have led to breaches in professional boundaries. Some staff have shared information about internal team conflicts with children. This has affected the consistency of care and two children’s sense of stability. Work to improve team culture is underway but remains in progress, and its impact has yet to be evaluated by managers.

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improvement to be good

Staff place a strong focus on education and actively support children to engage in learning. When children are not accessing education provision, staff will facilitate education at the home. The manager challenged a declined college referral to secure further education for one child. The manager also escalated concerns about another child’s lack of education provision. As a result, all children are attending school and making progress. Staff ensure that children have access to healthcare, including specialist provision. When children have health needs, staff respond to these with care, discretion and empathy.

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improvement to be good

Staff take prompt and appropriate action when children go missing from the home. They actively search, maintain contact with the children and notify the police. On the children’s return, staff support them to speak with an independent person. Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 4 Staff ensure that children receive prescribed medication as directed. When medication errors have occurred, managers have implemented lessons learned and procedures have improved. Staff understand the risks posed by the internet to children. They have put measures in place so children can access the internet safely.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. Following one child’s complaint about a staff member, the manager arranged mediation. The impact of the mediation was not evaluated, and the child later submitted a second complaint about the same staff member. The outcome of the second complaint placed responsibility on the child and staff member to improve the relationship. This was not realistic or achievable for the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not identified emerging bullying dynamics between children early enough to enable timely intervention. This was despite the presence of indicators suggesting a bullying dynamic could develop. The impact on children is that one child is isolated and struggles to live alongside the other children. The child has expressed a wish to take a break from the home due to the distress caused by interactions with other children. In response to bullying concerns, staff prevented two children from speaking privately with a social worker, limiting their opportunity to share their experiences confidentially. Recent work has been carried out with the children to address bullying. The effect of this is yet to be evaluated by managers.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out bedroom searches when safeguarding concerns arise, involving children where possible by seeking consent and encouraging participation. However, lessons learned regarding respecting a child’s dignity and privacy during searches have not been used to improve practice. After a bedroom search, a child found pages from their personal diary torn out and discarded in the bin. A staff member confirmed taking this action, which was not part of the child’s agreed care plan. The child is upset by this breach of privacy and has raised a complaint.

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improvement to be good

Staff use incentive charts and positivity jars to promote positive behaviour. Achievements are celebrated with either a monetary reward or an activity of the child’s choosing. When children need support with their behaviour, staff use consequences. Consequences are not always restorative, and often children do not understand why they have been given. Staff sometimes lack curiosity about the reasons behind behaviours. For example, when a child expressed hatred towards a staff member, this was not explored by staff with the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff have created plans to help keep children safe. This includes talking to children about their needs and associated risks. However, these plans are not always followed. A child told two staff members how the dynamics at the home were having a significant negative effect on how this made them feel. This was not shared with the wider team, and no immediate support was offered to the child. Action was only taken the following day, once other staff became aware.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 5 The registered manager has experience and relevant qualifications for the role. The team currently has one vacancy. To maintain staffing levels, the manager initially used agency staff. More recently, the manager covered staffing shortfalls using staff from within the provider organisation. Staff are supported to complete role-relevant qualifications and are given time during working hours to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has ensured that staff complete both mandatory and additional training tailored to the specific needs of the children. Staff said that the training is useful. The manager facilitates regular team meetings. These meetings are used as an opportunity for learning, connection and to consider how the team is meeting children’s needs. External professionals attend team meetings to provide specialist consultation to improve the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision, which covers their well- being, the needs of the children and professional development. Concerns about a staff member’s ability to care for children is addressed within supervision. Supervision includes clear actions and supports staff growth. Staff said they feel well supported. The manager has put systems in place to help staff communicate and understand children’s needs. Staff said they do not always know why certain decisions about children’s care are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has systems in place to monitor and evaluate children’s progress at the home. These systems include the child’s voice and ensure that children’s progress is reflected in their plan of care. These systems were not robust enough to identify emerging bullying dynamics between children and a problematic team culture early enough. The manager is now aware of these issues and is taking direct action to make improvements at the home. This work is progressing and requires evaluation of its impact. The manager has oversight of all plans for children’s care. The manager’s oversight did not identify a child’s plan was out of date and required review. Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand what bullying is, how it manifests and how it affects children. 9 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 7 In particular, ensure that staff respond promptly when a child expresses suicidal thoughts, following the home’s safeguarding procedures.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans are regularly reviewed and reflect their current needs.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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;

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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)(b)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a culture of openness, mutual respect and accountability.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are robust systems that proactively identify emerging concerns and improve practice.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand and maintain clear professional boundaries. 9 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 9 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff model positive, respectful relationships in all interactions.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; 9 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 9 any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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: SC028174 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Direct Care Limited

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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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Inspector

Laura Copus, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC028174 11 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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