Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with 3 of the children.

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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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good 27/04/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home receive good-quality care from staff who understand their needs. Although there have been changes to the staff team, strong and effective leadership has ensured continuity and stability for the children through this period of change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have come to live in the home. The registered manager carefully considers referrals to ensure that any moves into the home are managed sensitively and thoughtfully planned with the children. Independence plans are tailored for every child from the time that they move into the home, which helps children to build confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about living in the home. One child who has moved on from the home said, ‘I noticed a change in myself. I did my driving, I stopped smoking, I am still in college. If it was up to me, I would still be there, I loved it there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a therapeutic approach to build relationships and help children to understand boundaries. When children have additional needs, staff seek guidance from the clinical team to provide the right support. This provides staff with the skills and knowledge to ensure that they respond to children’s emotional needs with confidence and consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education and are making progress academically. Staff also encourage the children to participate in informal education in the home. One child was supported to help leaders create an anti-bullying presentation, which they then presented. This is now incorporated in the provider’s anti-bullying guide. Another child was helped to create a presentation to support their request for a pet hamster. This informal learning is fun and enjoyable for the children, and they feel that their efforts are appreciated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote and prioritise family time. They develop safety plans in consultation with children, listening to their views. For one child, this meant that they felt empowered to request that staff stayed and supervised their family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and provides ample room for the children to live comfortably. Staff encourage children to develop self-care skills and maintain clean and tidy bedrooms, while also providing support as needed. Each child’s bedroom has an en- suite shower, however, these are not all kept clean, with 4 shower enclosures requiring immediate attention.

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. Staff respond proactively when risks increase to ensure that children are safe. Staff understand their safeguarding Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 4 responsibilities. They are skilled and have a diverse range of work experiences, which benefits the children.

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

The registered manager completes detailed individual risk assessments. Any increase in risks or emerging risks are thoroughly evaluated with the clinical team, who provide regular guidance in staff meetings.

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

Children sometimes need to be physically held for their safety and the safety of others. Staff demonstrate skills to de-escalate children’s behaviours and help them to manage intense emotions. When levels of risk escalate, staff call the police. The registered manager acknowledges that these infrequent incidents unsettle other children living in the home. She has been proactive in reviewing these incidents, working with staff as well as listening to children’s views.

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

When high-risk incidents occur or when staff suspect potential risks, they work with children to gain their consent to carry out a room search. When items are found that could cause harm, staff follow this up with children with good-quality key-work conversations about their safety. The registered manager then writes a personal letter to the child, with any feedback after incidents.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. When this happens, the registered manager ensures that the child’s views are obtained and completes a fact-finding exercise. Independent managers support her to lead the formal investigations. This approach demonstrates oversight and accountability while ensuring that investigations remain transparent.

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

Staff are skilled in the administration of medication. However, the controlled drugs logs include a significant number of cancellations, deletions and date changes, without signatures, which does not comply with the home’s recording of medication policy. This lack of diligence increases the risk of medication errors and could compromise the effectiveness of management oversight and staff accountability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides effective leadership of the home. She actively cultivates a supportive environment that enables staff to safeguard children. Her leadership is purposeful and consistently drives progress. She communicates a clear vision that builds staff confidence, ensuring that the home continues to run smoothly and safely even in her absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Through good leadership, reflective practice and commitment to staff development, the registered manager continually enhances the quality of care and promotes a stable, nurturing environment for children. She has implemented tools to monitor the effective running of the home. These continue to be developed and embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their experience of working in the home and consistently report feeling well supported by the registered manager. They benefit from regular Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 5 input from the home’s clinical team. They speak highly of the positive impact of increased clinical team consultations on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from monthly supervision sessions which remain consistently child focused. The registered manager actively tracks the progress of staff to ensure that their induction, training and development equip them to meet the specific needs of the children. This approach promotes consistency and strengthens the quality of care provided to children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals shared positive feedback about the care that children receive. They said this is a good home, communication is always good and staff share concerns promptly. One grandparent described staff as ‘fantastic’ and said the child ‘ended up in the right place’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 6

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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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff adhere to the home’s medication policy when recording administration of controlled medications. 30 April 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of its children. In particular, ensure that shower enclosures are consistently maintained to a good standard of cleanliness and timely repairs are made to remove any mouldy grout. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2701927 7

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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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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2701927 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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