Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 1 SC363422 Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a large national organisation and provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. A new manager has recently been appointed.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. They were both spoken to.

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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

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2025 Full Outstanding 05/03/2024 Full Outstanding 14/11/2022 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 3

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improvement to be good

Staff know the children well and demonstrate genuine care and commitment to them. They want the best outcomes for each child and work hard to provide a nurturing and supportive environment. Staff speak warmly and positively about children. Caring and fun relationships promote children’s sense of belonging and emotional security.

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improvement to be good

Careful plans were made when a child who had lived at the home for over a year was due to move on. A well-planned transition supported the child to move to an area close to their family, helping them to maintain important relationships. Staff provided effective independence work and emotional support, which contributed to a smooth and positive move from the home.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from families and professionals highlights that staff are caring and supportive and have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs. However, concerns were raised by one school professional regarding the lack of information shared about a child’s known risks. This shortfall impacted the school’s ability to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of that child and others. In addition, up-to-date plans were not in place to guide staff in managing these risks effectively.

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improvement to be good

Recent changes in the workforce have affected staff morale. Although staff remain committed to their work, changes in the team dynamics have created tension and inconsistency in the delivery of care. These challenges have also impacted communication and working relationships in the team, reducing the overall effectiveness of care provided to children.

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improvement to be good

Children make some progress from their individual starting points. Staff use key-work sessions effectively to support children’s understanding and reflection. The practice of recording key-work sessions in letter form is thoughtful and nurturing, providing children with a tangible and meaningful record of their progress. This approach helps to promote positive relationships and reinforces a sense of value and belonging.

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improvement to be good

However, children’s overall progress has been hindered by inconsistencies in care and a lack of effective multi-agency working. These shortfalls have limited the provider’s ability to ensure that all children receive coordinated and consistent support to meet their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the procedures to follow should a child go missing and know where to access relevant information. Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare. However, records of missing-from-home incidents lack Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 4 clarity and consistency. In some cases, actions taken by staff are not clearly documented, and information has not been appropriately recorded or shared with relevant agencies. These shortfalls prevent managers from effectively monitoring patterns and ensuring that all safeguarding information is accurately maintained and communicated.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention has been used appropriately and proportionately in response to children’s behaviours. However, on some occasions, incidents may have been avoided through more effective use of de-escalation strategies and a greater awareness of children’s individual needs. Some incident reports contain language that places undue focus on the child’s behaviour rather than providing a clear, objective description. This can appear blaming and does not support reflective or child-centred practice.

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improvement to be good

Management oversight of physical intervention practice has not always been timely. This has limited opportunities for reflection and learning to improve practice. In addition, there have been delays in completing debrief discussions with both staff and children, and these discussions have sometimes focused more on the feelings of adults than the experiences of the child. This reduces the opportunity to promote understanding, repair relationships and support positive behaviour in the future.

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improvement to be good

Concerns regarding staff conduct and practice have not been consistently raised or managed in line with policies and procedures, resulting in delays in action being taken. This shortfall undermines the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and reduces accountability in the staff team. In addition, incidents involving self-harm and sexualised behaviour have not always been appropriately reported, recorded or shared with relevant people. This has prevented timely and coordinated action to safeguard children and ensure that they receive the necessary multi-agency support.

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improvement to be good

Consequences have been used appropriately, with only one instance recorded. The consequence applied was proportionate to the child’s behaviour and resulted in no further occurrences, demonstrating a positive impact on the child’s learning and behaviour. Staff carefully consider any consequences used to ensure they are meaningful and proportionate. This supports children’s understanding and promotes positive behaviour through education rather than punishment.

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improvement to be good

Staff are recruited safely, with thorough pre-employment checks ensuring that only suitable and safe adults work with children. This strong and consistent approach reflects the home’s commitment to recruit safe adults and helps create a secure, supportive environment for children.

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

When concerns about staff practice and conduct have been raised in forums such as supervision, these have not always been recognised through monitoring processes or acted on by the manager. This has led to delays in reporting concerns to the local authority designated officer and senior managers, reducing the effectiveness of safeguarding oversight. However, once senior managers became aware of these issues, Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 5 immediate and appropriate action was taken to address the concerns and strengthen safeguarding practice.

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

Staff have completed training to support their ability to care for children safely and effectively. However, there has been limited individualised training, particularly relating to the specific needs and behaviour of one child in the home. This has restricted staff’s capacity to provide tailored support and has also limited the effectiveness of the wider services that should have been available to meet the child’s needs.

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

Staff say the home environment was challenging to work in due to staff dynamics. They reported feeling let down and that their concerns had not been addressed. Since the recruitment of the new manager, staff say they feel confident in the changes and developments taking place. They speak positively about the new manager, highlighting her knowledge and the supportive approach she brings to her role.

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

Team meetings and supervision sessions have been held for staff; however, there have been inconsistencies in their frequency and the quality of reflective discussion to support children effectively. The new manager has quickly identified areas for development and demonstrates a clear vision for the children and staff. She has already begun to implement changes, including redecorating the home and introducing team briefings that clearly outline the vision and ethos for the home, helping to create a more cohesive and purposeful culture. Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that relationships between children and risks are safely managed and reported, and actions are put in place following concerns. Staff should have the skills to identify any risks or concerns and act on them in line with the home’s policies and procedures. 27 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure staff work as a team, in line with the home’s statement of purpose and ethos. Also, ensure staff have the skills and training to support children’s specific and individual needs. 27 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each 27 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 8 child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all up-to-date information is shared with all professionals supporting the child, including school staff. Plans should be updated to meet children’s needs. Where they are not, the registered person should challenge this to ensure the child has the right support.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when communicating and recording information about children, staff should use language that affirms a child’s identity and dignity and avoid terms that may feel stigmatising. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept that enable them and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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: SC363422 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Educational Services 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

Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC363422 10 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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