Children's Home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Southampton

Inspection report children's home: SC389174 1 SC389174 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

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for up to seven children with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection, six children were living in the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC389174 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2025 Full Outstanding 22/01/2024 Full Good 27/03/2023 Full Good 20/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC389174 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff help children to have enriching experiences. The atmosphere in the home is filled with joy and laughter because staff proudly sing and dance with children. Staff talk to children about their passions and show genuine interest in their lives. One child expressed a wish to perform in a show. Staff responded enthusiastically, involving other children in creating a stage, making props and learning songs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are thriving because of the high-quality care that they receive from dedicated and enthusiastic staff. The home is decorated beautifully and is thoughtfully designed to promote social opportunities for children, while children's bedrooms reflect their individuality. Staff make creative adaptations to equipment to allow children to pursue their interests. For example, staff built one child a bespoke dressing table.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Childrens health needs are well met. Staff work well with medical specialists so that children's needs are fully understood. When children experience difficulties in accessing treatment, staff help children to overcome challenges. For example, one child has a 'hospital passport' which informs professionals of how best to work with the child. Another child was gradually introduced to a new dentist, building their confidence. As a result, children are more able to access medical assessment and treatment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children attend school full time. Staff find ways to help children overcome barriers and minimise disruption to their education. For example, one child who recently moved in attends a school which is a long distance from the home. Staff have created an individual activity bag to help keep them entertained during the long journey, while managers work with other professionals to find a more suitable school. Another child arrived at the home with no school place. They were supported with a highly structured plan while a new school was found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Childrens independence improves significantly. Staff recognise how progress is important to each child. Some children are being helped to learn self-care tasks, while others are now using public transport or require less help from staff to visit shops. Older children have been helped to apply for jobs. One child recently became a 'young inspector', representing disabled children to their local authority. Children are helped to recognise their own emotions and communicate their feelings with others. This has led to an increase in confidence and self-esteem for all children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand the importance of maintaining family links and go to great lengths to help children stay in touch. For example, staff helped one child to travel a long distance and stayed with them overnight to allow them to visit their sibling for their birthday. Staff work flexibly with families and children around where and how children see those that are important to them. One parent said that due to staff support, 'Our relationship has got even better.' Inspection report children's home: SC389174 4 High quality individual communication plans mean that staff know how each child prefers to communicate. Staff and children benefit from the input of a Speech and Language Therapist, further strengthening staff understanding of children's needs. As a result, every child can express their views and wishes. Children are regularly spoken to about their opinion on different aspects of their care and the effect of children's voices is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

apparent through the range of choices that they make throughout each day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When children move on, they experience the best possible planning. Children are involved in decisions about their moves and are kept informed of any developments. This helps to reduce children's worries about the future. Staff recognise children's time and success in the home through celebratory events and a 'journey of achievements' photo album. One child who is due to move to an adult service said, 'I will be gutted to leave, I will really miss it.'

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

Staff fully understand children's support needs because of a comprehensive information gathering and review process. When children join the home, they receive specialist assessment by a range of clinical professionals, such as occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. Managers work with others who know the child to learn what support the child needs. Regular practice reflections with managers and psychologists mean that staff can seek expert advice when needed. As a result, staff provide children with well-informed care.

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

Managers respond robustly when concerns are raised about staff conduct. They act promptly to mitigate risks to children while investigating concerns. Managers work closely with safeguarding partners such as the Local Authority Designated Officer to share information.

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

Children are involved in developing strategies to help them feel better when they are upset. One child suggested short phrases that they could use when they wanted staff to give them space, which was included in their plans. This led to a significant reduction in the number of times the child became distressed.

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

Staff are highly skilled at finding ways to manage children's behaviour in non-restrictive ways. Managers review incidents of restraint, seeking to identify and share learning. This has meant that physical intervention has only been used once since the last inspection.

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

Staff recognise children's achievements and reward their good behaviour. Children are often involved in helping each other to achieve their goals. For example, older children help younger children to learn new kitchen skills. Managers organise award ceremonies to help children to celebrate their successes together, contributing to a sense of shared accomplishment.

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

Fire safety is taken seriously and prompt actions taken to ensure that the home environment is safe for the children and staff. There are clear support plans in place for Inspection report children's home: SC389174 5 staff to help children to take appropriate action in the event of an emergency evacuation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by an experienced and qualified registered manager who is highly aspirational for what children can achieve. They have created an environment where staff work effectively as a team and morale is exceptionally high. Staff are passionate about the effect of their work on the lives of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children are making, as well as the strengths and areas for development of the home. They use impressive systems to observe and analyse the quality of care. As a result, they are able to respond quickly and make changes when they notice patterns or shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are complimentary about the support that they receive from managers. They receive regular practice related supervision which focuses on their wellbeing and professional development and further supports the progress that children make. Staff have received an extensive range of training to help them meet the identified and emerging needs of children. Staff say that they are confident in their roles because of the excellent quality of training provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has highly effective working relationships with other agencies such as medical professionals, clinical staff and schools. This means that children get the help they need from the right services and ensures a more consistent approach for the child across a range of settings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children. They challenge other professionals when they are not satisfied with the support that children receive and do so with a focus on the views and preferences of the child. Each child has their own independent advocate, which helps to ensure that their voice can be heard when preparing for their statutory care reviews. Inspection report children's home: SC389174 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 children's home: SC389174 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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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspector

Glen Strowbridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC389174 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

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