Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 1 SC474041 Registered provider: Keys NHCC 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

A large private company owns this home. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2014. There is an experienced registered manager in post who is qualified to level 5 in health and social care management.

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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: SC474041 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 17/01/2023 Full Good 28/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child had left the home due to becoming an adult. This child had lived in the home for over three years, which provided them with stability. The manager worked closely with agencies to ensure that they moved to a suitable home. The child was well supported by staff to prepare them for this change. This means that their move was smooth and successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into this home are well planned. This means that staff understand the child’s history and how to meet their needs. One social worker said, ‘It has been a really good start at the home, they have been very supportive and got to know the child well.’ This helps children to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in this home have access to an in-house therapist who provides tailored, one-to- one support to each child. The home completes therapeutic assessments with children, which are regularly reviewed. This gives guidance to staff about how to help children reach their goals. However, staff do not always follow the guidance provided. This is a missed opportunity to use identified therapeutic strategies and support children consistently with their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in this home receive support to stay healthy and active. Staff are persistent in encouraging children to be active. Staff go with children to the gym and take them on outdoor activities. This support has helped one child maintain a varied diet and develop their cooking skills. However, this support was not successful in helping one child maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is mixed. One child experienced an unsettled period and did not access education for a seven-month period before moving out of the home. The child currently living in the home does not have suitable educational provision. Staff are creative in supporting the child to take part in educational activities. The manager has liaised with agencies to seek provision, but has not provided sufficient challenge or escalated concerns appropriately about delays in the child’s educational planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently undergone redecoration, and it is furnished to a high standard. It provides a warm, clean and homely atmosphere. Children’s bedrooms are personal to their taste. This makes the home a welcoming place for children to live in.

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

The child living in the home said that they feel safe and can speak to staff about their worries. When children tell staff about concerns, staff listen to them and act on information shared. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 4 Due to the strength of the relationships between staff and children, there are few serious incidents. When incidents do occur, staff take immediate action to keep children safe and provide them with support in line with their support plans. As a result, situations are quickly de-escalated. Staff speak with children after incidents, to identify potential triggers. This helps to keep children safe.

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

Children’s care plans and risk assessments generally reflect children’s specific needs and risks. They usually provide staff with clear guidance about what they need to do to keep children safe. However, for one child, the strategies in place to support them were not reviewed when the manager became aware of potential online risks to the child. This meant that staff did not have clear guidance on how to keep this child safe. There was insufficient discussion with the child about the risks of the internet. This does not ensure that children are safe from online harm.

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

Staff do not always provide children with consistent boundaries and routines. One child’s routine declined before they moved out of the home. Staff did not always follow the child’s care plan and provide them with support to encourage them to actively take part in daily life. The child currently living in the home has appropriate and consistent boundaries and routines in place, which they are benefiting from. Consequences are restorative and the child receives consistent praise from staff. As a result, the child’s ability to safely manage their emotions is improving.

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

When staff members have been subject to an allegation outside of the home, appropriate safeguarding procedures are followed and these are suitably risk assessed. However, it is not clear if other staff are aware of expectations when working with the staff member. This has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of safety measures that are in place.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place. However, for one staff member, managers had not done enough to verify their reasons for leaving a previous role. Other references were provided and were suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home benefits from an experienced and suitably qualified manager. The manager knows the children well and advocates for their needs. The manager monitors the quality of care provided effectively. They complete monthly audits, and quality assurance audits are completed by leaders in the organisation. Identified actions are completed to improve the care staff provide to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has oversight of incidents and usually takes appropriate action. On one occasion, when an external agency raised a concern, this was not shared soon enough with the child’s social worker or with the regulator. This impacts on the ability of external agencies to have oversight of the care provided to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 5 The home benefits from a stable team of motivated staff who are suitably qualified. Staff say that they are well led and feel supported. One staff member said, ‘I love it here. It’s the best team I have worked in.’ The stability in the staff team helps children to form secure relationships in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective supervision. They benefit from team meetings, which are child focused. While the manager feels well supported by leaders, the recording of their supervision is not always clear. This means that discussions and actions are not always identifiable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not always ensure that staff maintain professional boundaries with children. When staff have shared practice that compromises these boundaries, the manager does not challenge them or record discussions around this. This has not resulted in any harm to a child, but it does not ensure that staff carry out their responsibilities appropriately or that issues with staff practice are consistently addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have attended relevant training to help them to meet children’s needs. The manager also requests specific training to meet children’s individual needs. However, staff do not have sufficient understanding of the home’s therapeutic model of care. This has affected their ability to deliver care in line with home’s statement of purpose. While staff have undertaken training on this approach, this is not embedded in practice. This has not yet had a significant impact on the quality of care provided to children. However, the manager recognises that staff would benefit from refresher training in this area. Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 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

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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assessments must be updated with relevant information and shared with staff so that they know what they need to do to keep children safe. This also relates to the managers and staff keeping children safe from online harm. 29 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff understand and implement the home’s therapeutic model of care. The manager must also ensure that staff maintain appropriate professional boundaries when working with children. This also relates to leaders and managers ensuring that the recording of supervision is effective. 29 December 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children are not in full-time education, they provide appropriate challenge to the placing authority to meet the child’s needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that the child has an up-to-date PEP and EHCP. This also relates to ensuring that a child has sufficient alternative education Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 8 provision when they are not in school. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This specifically relates to all employment checks being completed when staff have worked with children or vulnerable adults. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC474041 9

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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

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC474041 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 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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