Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a large national provider. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home and were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and registered with Ofsted in July 2025

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection of the home since it was registered in July 2025. Two children moved into the home, and they have remained at the home. The children were living in a different home belonging to the organisation, and this helped the staff and managers to make the children’s move to this home both smooth and successful. An external professional said, ‘It felt like the children were moving home with family, rather than a placement which helped the children feel settled and secure.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are proactive in supporting children to attend medical appointments and to have any treatment, if required. They place a high priority on children’s emotional well-being. Children talk positively about the care they receive from staff and the manager, and this is helping to develop the children’s self-esteem and further enhance the relationships between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff encourage children to talk about their views. The staff support children to make their own choices, for example how the children want to decorate their rooms. Staff consider the children’s identity needs, including supporting their religious beliefs. Children’s meetings occur regularly, and staff speak to the children about important topics and try to respond to things children want.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff also out individual key-work sessions with children, which help the children to speak to staff about important issues affecting their lives. However, there is a disparity between the number of key-work sessions for each child, and the reasons for this are not always recorded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are not currently in education. Staff supported one child to enrol at college, but the child struggled to engage. The staff arranged volunteering opportunities linked to the child’s interests to help build workplace skills. One child receives tutoring at the home but does not always feel able to engage. The manager recognises the challenges related to education and tries to support each child’s participation in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to see family members and those who they are close to regularly. This includes, at times, taking the children to arranged meetings with family members. This helps the children to maintain positive relationships with those they are close to. Additionally, staff are developing relationships with the children’s parents, who can visit children at the home.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 3 Staff have built good relationships with the children and there have been very few incidents at the home of worrying behaviours from the children. The children have not had to be held by staff to keep them or others safe. They have not gone missing from home. Staff understand the procedures related to children going missing from home. However, key documents that would support professionals if a child were to go missing are not up to date.

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

The children have not made any allegations against staff or made any complaints. They can identify trusted adults who they can talk to if they have any worries. Staff talk to the children about how to make a complaint if they are unhappy, including if staff care practice falls short of expectations. The manager understands the importance of children being able to talk openly about their experiences and has considered advocacy support for children. However, this has not yet been implemented.

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

Medication procedures are not robust. There have been medication errors, and while these were identified through the manager’s oversight, the follow-up expectations of staff were not completed. The manager did not identify all staff who were involved, and additional medication training was not provided in a prompt manner, with some staff still administering medication before additional training was provided. Records are not always clear about prescribed or non-prescribed medication, and children’s plans lack details of their medication requirements. The manager is planning improvements to medication practice.

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

Staff have good oversight of children’s electronic devices, including requesting that the children share devices so staff can check who they may be communicating with online. This practice and the associated agreements related to device use are not recorded in the children’s plans.

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

The children’s legal status, which underpins the reason they are in care, is not recorded in the relevant plans for the children. This is important so staff and others understand the legal basis for the children being in care and who holds parental responsibility for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and committed manager who has high aspirations for the children and staff. The manager has a good understanding of how she wants to develop the home and provide the children with very high standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager played a key role in ensuring the children moved from the previous home in a well-considered manner and that they received the stability they needed to help them settle into the home, recognising the upheaval for them. Staff speak highly of the manager and enjoy working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is now focused on ensuring that the delegation of tasks to staff is more robust to support the running of the home and promote staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 4 Team meetings occur regularly, with a focus on the children’s individual needs, how care practice can continue to be enhanced and ongoing action planning for children’s progress. Staff find team meetings valuable in allowing them to reflect on their care practice together. They also receive regular support from a team in the organisation that provides psychotherapeutic interventions. The staff receive regular and ongoing training and development to equip them with the skills and knowledge to provide good care to children. However, there are some gaps in the training and development of staff. The manager is aware of these gaps and has plans to bring training up to expected levels.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several members of staff are in their probationary periods. The manager carries out probation reviews with these staff to be assured they are on track to complete their probation. Staff receive regular professional supervision. However, the children are not always discussed in detail, and safeguarding issues are not considered thoroughly, during these supervision sessions. The manager acknowledges this and plans to review the supervision practice and agenda to capture these crucial matters. When necessary, the manager carries out targeted supervision sessions to help staff reflect on practice to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are weaknesses in safer recruitment processes, relating to full and complete references for applicants with previous experience in the care sector. This limits the ability of the manager to verify employment history fully and assess staff suitability to work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent visits to the home take place regularly, which provide feedback on strengths and areas for improvement. However, there is often a delay in these reports being sent to Ofsted, which limits timely external oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 5

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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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that medication procedures related to prescribed and non-prescribed medication are clear, and that when errors occur, all staff involved are identified and follow-up training occurs in a timely manner. Additionally, plans for children should be kept up to date regarding the medication they are taking. 26 January 2026

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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

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 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; 26 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure staff receive detailed and regular supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Key relevant documents relating to children should be updated promptly to reflect any changes in children’s legal status, and risk assessments, care plans, incidents and transition planning should be recorded accurately. The manager should prioritise delegation of tasks to support the running of the home and promote staff development.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44) to ensure continuous improvement, which should be shared with Ofsted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2817466 7

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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

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2817466 8 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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