Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 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

This children’s home is owned by a private provider. It is registered to care for up to three children who may experience emotional, behavioural, mental health or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered on 1 July 2025. The registered manager has been in post since the home’s registration and was present for both days of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 2

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improvement to be good

No children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. Three children who are related to each other moved in in July 2025 but left after a few weeks. Leaders agreed to the children moving in to keep them together. However, they did not gather sufficient information about the children’s needs. This affected the quality of care and the progress the children made. The children were not introduced to staff or the home before moving in, which made it harder for them to settle and build relationships.

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improvement to be good

Despite these challenges, staff provided activities and new experiences that helped the children develop some trust and share more about themselves before leaving the home. Leaders have reflected on these experiences and are committed to improving practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff supported the children to move out of the home in a planned way. Children were introduced to their new home at their own pace, which helped them to settle and make better progress.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff provide consistent therapeutic approaches in their care of children. Conversations do not always demonstrate that the manager and staff understand the impact of children’s life experiences and how these affect them. Children’s records do not show that therapeutic approaches are informing practice. For example, some language used in records could be stigmatising for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally met the children’s cultural needs. However, on one occasion, the children were given food that did not reflect their cultural preferences. The manager recognised this shortfall and acted quickly.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally ensure that children’s health needs are met. They support children to attend routine health appointments and offer children a varied diet. Children are encouraged to maintain consistent routines and develop self-care skills. This has helped children to develop an understanding of the importance of areas such as their personal hygiene. However, staff were less successful in helping children to improve their sleep routines.

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improvement to be good

Staff supported the children to maintain relationships with important family members, through visits which they supervised.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff did not have a consistent understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities of the children. Some significant risks emerged soon after the children Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 3 moved in, which staff had not anticipated. When incidents occurred, staff did not consistently manage them well and, on occasion, missed opportunities to intervene early and prevent escalation. For example, on one occasion, a child gained access to a metal pole, resulting in property damage and behaviour that placed both children and staff at risk.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders responded to the increase in incidents by providing additional staff and managerial presence in the home. However, this support was reactive rather than planned. While this helped to reduce incidents and contributed to the children becoming more settled, the lack of proactive planning limited its effectiveness.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete risk assessments for children that include relevant information. However, these assessments are not consistently reviewed or updated following incidents. This means staff do not always have the most current information to inform their practice. For example, when children talked about setting the home on fire, this was not followed up with additional support or services. Although no one was harmed, the lack of action increased the potential risk to children and others.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used a small number of physical interventions to keep children safe. However, there were shortfalls in the recording of these. In addition, children were not offered the opportunity to reflect on the incident or discuss it with staff or managers. This limits children’s ability to understand what happened and to learn strategies to manage behaviour safely.

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improvement to be good

One child made allegations of harm against staff. These were reported to the relevant professionals. However, managers did not ensure that all allegations were investigated internally, and the child was not informed of the outcomes. This failure reduces transparency and does not help the child feel listened to or reassured about their safety.

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improvement to be good

The manager has ensured that staff who work in the home have been recruited safely. This prevents children from being cared for by staff who are unsafe.

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

There has been inconsistency in management oversight in the home. Managers acknowledge that care planning has been reactive rather than based on a thorough consideration of children’s individual needs. This approach has limited the quality and consistency of care provided to children. Leaders and managers have reflected on these shortfalls and are committed to improving the experiences of children and staff. A clear plan is now in place to support staff development and strengthen management practice. This provides some assurance that managers are taking action to address weaknesses and improve outcomes for children. However, the impact of this plan is yet untested.

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

Managers have not ensured that staff receive regular supervision or attend team meetings. This has impacted on the development of a coherent team culture and has led to inconsistencies in how staff support children. For example, staff have not always Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 4 provided a consistent approach to managing children’s behaviour. Additionally, staff have access to reflective sessions with specialist clinicians to support trauma-informed care. However, this has not yet led to consistent improvements in practice.

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

Senior managers have not provided sufficient quality assurance or oversight of the home. They have not checked the quality of records or reports. For example, the responsible individual was unaware of some incidents that had occurred in the home. Managers have also failed to complete debriefs and evaluations of incidents. This means that opportunities to learn from incidents and improve practice have been missed, which does not promote safer care for children.

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

Leaders and managers have recruited new staff. They have relevant experience and knowledge for their roles. The induction and training offered to staff are comprehensive. During inductions, staff learn from shadowing staff in other homes.

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

Staff say that they currently feel supported and have confidence in the current management arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to implementing the therapeutic approach referred to in the statement of purpose, how this is evidenced in recordings and how staff demonstrate understanding of neglect and its impact on children. It also relates to ensuring that children’s cultural needs are consistently met. 30 January 2026

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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— 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 6 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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to incidents not being de-escalated effectively or recorded clearly and risk assessments not being updated following incidents.

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to management oversight of the care provided in the home and ensuring a consistent approach across the workforce. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 7 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that sufficient information of children is obtained before they move into the home and that the children are involved in the planning of moving into the home where possible.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response.(Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the response to allegations, ensuring that these are investigated and that children are informed of the outcome. 30 January 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that supervision takes place and that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 8

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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: 2822054 9

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Tamika McCalla-Gibson

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Inspectors

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector John McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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