Children's home run by Keys Education Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 1 SC024808 Registered provider: Keys Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and are presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023 and holds a diploma level 5 in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 outstanding

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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: 4 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Outstanding 15/08/2023 Full Outstanding 29/11/2022 Full Good 15/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the children in their care and build positive, trusting relationships. This enables most children to make excellent progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote education and ensure that children attend school regularly. For example, staff have supported one child to maintain their school placement, despite the significant distance. They transport the child daily, ensuring punctuality and readiness for learning. Their commitment to children’s education has resulted in another child, who had previously been out of school for a considerable period, now attending consistently, achieving well and preparing for examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff apply theoretical learning effectively to enhance their skills and knowledge. They identify individual areas of development for children and provide creative opportunities, such as voluntary work, to build independence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individual sessions that staff undertake with children are well planned and focused on each child’s specific needs. These sessions form part of a sustained approach that helps children explore past experiences, develop coping strategies and acquire skills for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a nurturing and caring environment that promotes learning through play. They take positive, considered risks to provide enriching experiences, such as supporting children who have never been away from home to enjoy an overnight holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and homely. Staff encourage children to personalise their bedrooms, fostering a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite this excellent practice, one child who had lived in the home for several years and made significant progress struggled to adjust when a new child moved in. Staff were unable to re-engage the child, and the manager made the difficult decision for the child to move out of the home.

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

Children are kept safe by a staff team who know them well and respond effectively to risks. When children engage in risk-taking behaviours or leave the home without staff permission, staff follow agreed protocols and act promptly to locate and return children to the home.

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

Physical intervention is only used when necessary to protect children from harm and as a last resort after all other strategies have been exhausted. Records confirm that Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 4 interventions are proportionate. However, one record did not show the duration of the intervention.

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

Following incidents, the manager ensures that children have meaningful opportunities to reflect and learn. These include discussions and structured workbook sessions, which are comprehensive and demonstrate high-quality work that supports children’s understanding and personal development.

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

Not all staff are consistently confident in applying strategies to support children in crisis. Some staff have required additional support and guidance from the manager. On one occasion, a staff member lacked the confidence to assist a colleague when a physical intervention was considered necessary to keep a child safe. The manager is working with staff through training and supervision to improve their confidence and skills.

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

When children raise concerns, the manager responds promptly and appropriately. Concerns are reported and investigated thoroughly, and any shortfalls in staff practice are addressed through supervision. Where necessary, probationary periods are ended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to the home and sets high expectations for herself and the team. She continually strives to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly child-focused and knows the children well. Children seek her out and speak positively about her. Staff also speak highly of her, describing her as approachable, supportive and knowledgeable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A strength of the manager is the significant time she invests in researching new ideas and theoretical approaches to childcare. She shares this learning effectively with the staff team through structured training, mentoring and shadowing opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from a comprehensive induction and training programme that equips them with the skills and knowledge required for their role. Additional child-specific learning is provided through input from professionals with specialist expertise, ensuring staff can meet the individual needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager also demonstrates excellent multi-agency working. She makes effective use of external professionals to provide direct support to children and to enhance staff knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from professionals and families is consistently positive. They report that children are well cared for and make excellent progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint allow for the registered person 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. Specifically, they should ensure that all the relevant information is included in the report such as duration of the physical intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and experience to enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. They should ensure that staff understand and can meet each child’s needs, in line with their responsibilities. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff are consistent in their approaches to behaviour management and confident to use the training they have been given. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC024808 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Education 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

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC024808 7 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 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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