Children's home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children‟s Services Ltd in Tewkesbury

Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 1 SC434223 Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services Ltd 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 provides care for up to 2 children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since June 2025 and registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. They were both spoken with during the inspection.

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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: 21 January 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: SC434223 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Outstanding 30/01/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Good 27/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at this home form strong, stable and trusting relationships with children. These relationships contribute to children making progress from difficult starting points. Staff have a strong understanding of children’s individual needs and provide children with high-quality, nurturing and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a cosy, beautifully decorated home, which provides them with a relaxed, family-like environment. There is extensive play equipment, which encourages children to engage in activities. This helps them to build relationships with staff and peers as they play together. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised. One child’s bedroom was redecorated with a football team theme at short notice before they moved in. This means that when the child moved into the home they felt listened to and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are thoroughly planned. This ensures that moves for children are smooth and successful. One child’s school said, ‘I have nothing but positives to say. The transition was brilliant.’ Staff ensure that when planning for moves into the home, the children who already live in the home are included imaginatively in these plans. Introductions between children are centred around activities such as pizza making and bowling. This helps to ease children’s worries about change and help them begin to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is highly valued by staff, who celebrate and are proud of children’s progress. Staff read with children every day using a wide variety of materials. They advocate strongly for children and work effectively alongside other agencies to remove any barriers to children attending and achieving at school. As a result of this support, children make significant progress in education. One child had previously not attended school consistently for a significant period. As a result of the support from staff, this child now has 100% attendance and is enjoying school and achieving academically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported with their health needs. Staff regularly speak to children about their health needs and use creative strategies to meet these needs and to help children understand any health conditions they have. This has helped one child to consistently take new medication, which is supporting them with their wellbeing. Staff thoroughly track the daily impact of the medication to share this information with health professionals and support future health planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff go over and above to support children to spend time with their family, even when this is a significant distance away. For one child, staff provided them with support to regularly visit their family as part of a plan for the child to return to live at home. The local authority said that the home’s support was pivotal in this move being successful. The child had a leaving party before they left the home, which was attended by friends, family and professionals involved in their life. This helped make the ending a positive experience for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 4 Children are encouraged to try a range of activities and pursue their individual interests. An individualised approach and encouragement from staff enable children to discover new hobbies and experience opportunities to socialise with peers. This means that one child is now regularly involved in a wide range of activities and is making new friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has been in the home for a short period of time. Staff worked hard to find a local football team in line with the child’s wishes, which has been a positive experience for them.

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

The strong and trusting relationships staff have with children, alongside highly effective planning, ensure that children feel secure and thrive at this home. As a result, children can share any concerns they have with trusted adults. When children share their concerns, staff respond with empathy and take effective action to address their worries.

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

Children receive help and support to manage difficult emotions and feelings safely. Staff enthusiastically support positive behaviour. Consequences are used rarely and only when appropriate. Children have their own ‘book of positives’ and ‘daily highlights’, which staff reliably contribute to each day. Children value and benefit from this recognition, and frequently contribute their views on their achievements.

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

Children do not go missing from home. This is because staff provide children with consistent, nurturing and therapeutically informed care. Staff are creative in helping children understand their emotions. They have important conversations with children to help them reflect on their feelings and actions. As a result, children feel more secure and settled.

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

Staff know children well and are skilled at helping them calm down before incidents escalate. As a result, the use of physical intervention has significantly reduced for one child due to the relationships they have with staff. When physical intervention is used, this is in appropriate situations and to prevent serious harm. Children are spoken with after these interventions, and staff take prompt action to repair relationships. Managers support staff effectively after incidents, using research-informed reflection to help staff to consider their own practice and what they could do differently.

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

Staff and managers take a proactive approach to safeguarding concerns. When children share concerns about staff practice, these are taken seriously, and they are shared with the appropriate agencies. There is comprehensive and effective planning with the local authority and designated officers. This means that children and staff are supported and safeguarded effectively.

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

There have been two medication errors made within a short space of time in this home. Managers and leaders have now taken robust action to address these errors. Staff apologised to the child affected. All staff were retrained in medication administration and medication oversight has been enhanced. No further incidents have taken place since. Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a committed and aspirational manager who has worked hard to consolidate the home’s culture and ethos. The manager is visible and leads by example. The manager spends time with children to build relationships and to model good practice to the staff team. As a result, staff have a strong and confident understanding of the home’s model of care, which is embedded into daily practice. This is supported by the home’s clinical team and ensures that children receive good-quality, consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is supported by a proactive responsible individual who has excellent oversight of the home. Together, they provide efficient and ambitious leadership of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a strong understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The management and leadership team regularly uses research-informed practice to improve the care that children receive. For example, staff have been supported to reflect on and consider the language used when they record conversations with children. As a result, the quality of these conversations has improved, and they are now more consistently child centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager advocates strongly for children, and professionals generally provide positive feedback about his oversight and the clear and effective communication he provides. When complaints are made, leaders and managers take action to investigate these promptly, and any learning is implemented. This ensures that the manager learns from feedback to improve care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff enjoy working in this home and feel well supported by leaders and managers. One staff member said, ‘The manager has got to know us well and has helped me to improve in my job role.’ Staff receive regular supervision, which is reflective and child focused. Appraisals provide staff with clear goals to work towards to develop the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are well attended and provide a resourceful and creative opportunity for learning. There is a detailed agenda that promotes child-focused discussion. This approach supports morale and stability in the team and drives improvement through reflective discussions underpinned by the home’s model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive training in line with children’s individual needs, and most staff are qualified. One staff member said that the training provided has helped her to understand what it means to be ‘trauma informed’. This therapeutic approach is evident in staff’s practice with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 6

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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: SC434223 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Group, Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC434223 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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