Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children's home: SC433286 1 SC433286 Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited

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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 large private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of inspection 3 children were living at the home. They were all involved in the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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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 outstanding

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC433286 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2025 Full Outstanding 29/11/2023 Full Outstanding 28/03/2023 Full Outstanding 14/09/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC433286 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have close relationships with the staff team. Staff are invested in the children and have a good understanding of their needs. Staff take the time to play with the children, bake with them and sit and relax with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A real strength of this home is the good routines that are in place. Children know these routines and the expectations on them. Children are up and ready for school, even if they are not in full-time education. At weekends, each child has a clear plan for the day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff model healthy behaviours. Children see adults cooking and eating healthily, brushing their teeth and being kind to each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points. All of the children are now in education; some having been out of education for long periods. When 2 new children arrived and education was not in place, the children attended 'Gem School'. Here they had specific topics to learn about, went to the library and undertook physical education such as swimming or walking to help prepare them to return to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed, and are developing, important social skills. They are now sitting together around the table for dinner and enjoying playing together. This is huge progress from their starting points. They are developing important skills of negotiating sharing toys, food and time with particular staff, which are important life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy home-cooked meals are a staple. Delicious smells of home-cooked meals and freshly made bread fill the home. Children who were 'not touching' vegetables are now routinely eating them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are busy and enjoy lots of activities. One child attends youth club regularly and another has started cadets. This is helping to increase the children's ability to make friends. Memory books created by staff capture these important events well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and beautifully maintained. Photos of children and their toys and possessions are on display. Children's bedrooms are personal to each of them and provide them with comfortable and nurturing spaces.

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

Staff have a sound understanding of the children's risks and vulnerabilities. All staff spoken to demonstrate a good knowledge of the children's histories and experiences. Children say they can talk to staff. This is reflected in the nurturing conversations that have taken place. Close relationships with the staff mean that children can talk about their worries. Inspection report children's home: SC433286 4 None of the children have been missing from the home. Procedures are in place and staff are clear about what they need to do should such a situation arise.

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

There have been 5 incidents of restraint since the last inspection. Recordings of these incidents are detailed and clear. Children are spoken to by someone who was not directly involved. This gives them the option to speak openly about what has happened. There is robust management oversight of each incident. The manager considers not only what happened for the child but also the actions staff took. The manager clarifies details with staff when this is not clear. Learning is highlighted and shared with the team.

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

Concerns about staff practice are taken seriously and reported appropriately. Thorough investigations take place and action is taken quickly to ensure that children are safe. Staff role model behaviours for the children. The children are learning important skills about how to interact and behave around each other. Positive behaviour is promoted and children are praised appropriately, even for small things. Children have incentive charts and receive appropriate awards.

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

Clear boundaries are in place about access to the internet. Children know the rules around this. The rules are informed by the staff’s research about the links between technology and poorer mental health outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by an experienced manager. The close working relationship between the manager and deputy manager provides strong consistency to the team and the children. Managers are invested in the staff and staff say that they feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention is high. No agency or bank staff have been used, so children experience consistency in the adults in the home. Staff report feeling highly supported both in their day-to-day work and personal development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have high aspirations for the children. They have worked hard to encourage children into mainstream schools.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and a parent expressed that communication can be difficult at times. However, generally concerns are dealt with quickly. For one child, moving on from the home was difficult. After 4 years of living in the home, managers gave notice on the child’s time at the home. This was not an easy decision and the impact on the other children and the team was considered carefully. While managers challenged the lack of support from immediate professionals, this was not escalated. The outcome for the child was not a positive one.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of care is robust. When incidents happen, these are quickly reviewed and actions are put into place. Reflections on practice are thoughtful and consider what staff could do differently. Inspection report children's home: SC433286 5 Guidance to the team is largely clear. However, some language in records is not child friendly. Staff have used words such as dysregulated and absconding to describe children’s behaviours. However, these are not words used around children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems are in place to ensure staff receive good quality supervision sessions with actions identified. Reflection is encouraged throughout supervision sessions and team meetings and learning is shared. Inspection report children's home: SC433286 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff work in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child. When services to meet the child's needs are not provided, during the child's time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child's needs. The home should evidence what they have done to escalate concerns. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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 children's home: SC433286 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Keys Group Progressive Care & 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:

Nickie Doney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC433286 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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