Children's Home run by Keir Lock Children’s Homes Ltd in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 1 Registered provider: Keir Lock Children’s Homes Ltd

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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 and operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the home as both the provider and manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection. They were both spoken with by the inspector.

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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 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: 2825198 2

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improvement to be good

Children are not consistently helped to understand their life experiences. Staff encourage children to talk, but they do not always explore thoughts and feelings about distressing events. This includes how children feel after making disclosures. As a result, children do not always receive the emotional support they need to make sense of their experiences and build resilience. Children’s physical health needs are met. Staff arrange and encourage healthcare appointments.

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improvement to be good

Children are beginning to feel at home. Staff understand that progress looks different for each child. For one child, eating at the table and using electronic devices to communicate with staff show developing engagement. For another child, relationships with staff formed quickly, and they enjoy living in the home. One child has found settling more difficult. Staff continue to support them, but progress is slow.

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improvement to be good

Children understand how to raise concerns. The complaints policy is clear and shared with children through written guides and discussions. In one instance, a child needed further explanation about raising concerns outside the home, which staff are addressing.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to engage with education and continue to work towards suitable learning options. Staff encourage children to attend education and respect the barriers they face and their wishes; however, children are not currently attending education. The staff provide learning activities in the home and limit leisure activities during school hours.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage independence skills and consider children’s views when planning for them moving on. When children express wishes to live with family or move towards semi-independence, staff respect these views and begin planning, where possible.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see their families when this is safe. They take children to visits and help them celebrate family events, including buying gifts. This helps children maintain important relationships, even when these are emotionally difficult.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean and welcoming. Staff and children care for the environment. Communal meals and shared activities support positive interactions. Children personalise their bedrooms, which helps them feel comfortable.

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improvement to be good

Not all risks to children have been identified or formally reviewed, which means some risks may not be consistently monitored. This could result in children not receiving a coordinated and consistent staff response if risks escalate or change. For example, Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 3 concerns regarding a child’s low weight and incidents of bullying behaviour are recorded in care plans; however, risk assessments are not always completed or updated to reflect current information and changes in circumstances. Where risk assessments are in place, staff review and update them appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management guidance does not give staff clear direction. It does not set out all steps staff take to de-escalate situations. The guidance does not provide staff with clear, actionable steps for responding to behaviour. The inclusion of unrelated information, such as diet, reduces clarity and makes it harder for staff to understand what is expected.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently help children understand their feelings or the risks linked to their actions. Staff do not always explore the reasons behind children’s exposure to risk. Instead, they sometimes apply consequences without discussion. This limits opportunities for children to learn and change their behaviour. The manager’s evaluation of consequences had not identified this.

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improvement to be good

Consequences for children’s behaviour are not always proportionate or linked to behaviour. When children go missing from home, staff apply a standard response that is not in line with behaviour management guidance. The staff approach is not restorative and does not help staff to mitigate risk and prevent future missing-from-home incidents. The consequences used are not always recorded, which limits staff’s ability to evaluate their effectiveness.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff do act appropriately to ensure that children return safely. They keep clear and accurate records and involve relevant professionals. Incidents in the home are infrequent and usually low level. Staff rarely need to use physical intervention. Staff have taken time to explain to children why it may be needed and what it involves. Children have been able to share their views about preferred holds.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise that behaviour management practice needs to improve. They have begun work to strengthen restorative discussions, improve the use of proportionate consequences and record practice more clearly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads the home with a clear ethos of nurture and unconditional support. They are supported by a deputy management team, who hold clear roles and responsibilities. This provides staff with direction, which helps create a supportive environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff show commitment to reflection and improvement. Management systems do not always identify inconsistencies in practice. However, the manager responds positively to challenge and uses feedback to improve systems and strengthen practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 4 There are systems to check the quality of care. Care and placement plans reflect the needs of the children living there and are reviewed regularly. Systems track children’s progress over time and support planning for their future needs and moving on plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with professionals from other agencies. These relationships are positive and focused on children’s needs. When the manager challenges decisions, this is appropriate, persistent and child focused. This helps ensure that children receive coordinated and timely support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are recruited safely and in line with required checks. There are no staff vacancies. Staff feel valued and supported, which contributes to a positive and inclusive culture. Regular supervision sessions support reflective practice, staff wellbeing and safeguarding discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager seeks feedback from children, including when views may be difficult to hear. This shows a commitment to listening to children. However, recent quality of care reviews do not capture children’s views about the home, its facilities and the care they receive. The manager has taken steps to improve how this feedback is gathered so it can inform future reviews.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is not always updated when children present with specific needs. This means not all staff have maintained up-to-date knowledge in areas, such as responding to self-harm. The manager recognises these gaps and is arranging further training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirements Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirements 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)(i)(v))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies. These strategies should be in line with the child’s relevant plans and restorative in nature, in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirements Due date

In addition, staff should be prepared and able to listen to children who want to talk about their past experiences. 30 March 2026

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Requirements Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 30 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirements Due date

that staff — assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirements Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)(vii))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that restorative practice and consequences are used in line with behaviour management and missing-from- care policies.

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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 the use is fair. Children should be treated with understanding, their rights should be upheld and they should be involved in decisions about behaviour management. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.35)  The registered person should ensure that staff gain the skills, experience and training that enables them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should ensure that when they carry out their quality-of-care report, that this captures the feedback and opinions of children particularly about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2825198 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keir Lock Childrens Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Thompson’s Yard, New Street, Ossett, West Yorkshire WF5 8BH

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Inspector

Vikki Thwaites, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2825198 8 and inspects 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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Inspector

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