Children's Home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 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 by a large private provider and offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home, who was spoken with as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified. The manager was on leave during the inspection.

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Inspection date: 25 March 2026

Date of last inspection: 2 December 2025

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Inspection date: 25 March 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 25 March 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

At the last full inspection, 5 requirements and 2 recommendations were set. At this assurance inspection, one requirement and one recommendation were not reviewed. These have been restated and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, one child has recently moved into the home. The manager met with people important to the child to gain a good understanding of the child’s needs. The manager then carried out a robust assessment of how staff would meet these needs. Leaders visited the child before they moved into the home to start building relationships. Leaders have developed children’s guides for children of different ages to support them in their move into the home in line with their level of development.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and staff have implemented a positive education plan to support the child while an appropriate education setting is identified. These plans are child-centred and meet the needs of the child, who has started to engage.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff understand the importance of health and wellbeing for the child. Staff have supported the child to attend key health appointments. Leaders meet with the child regularly to understand the child’s wishes and feelings. When the child identifies strategies or resources that would support their wellbeing, leaders respond promptly. This has meant that the child now has access to fitness equipment that helps them to regulate.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff benefit from therapeutic input from specialists in the organisation. This helps staff to reflect on their practice and how to best support the child. The manager seeks specific therapeutic support for the staff team, including specialised training sessions that help staff care for the child. Staff then provide lots of planned and ad hoc key-work sessions, which the child engages well with.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is well presented and decorated to a high standard. There was a padlock on the garden gate that required a key to unlock, and there were no other means of exit from the garden. This practice was not regularly reviewed nor included in plans, therefore rationale for this is unclear.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are building positive relationships with the child. The child has not gone missing from the home. There have been no incidents where staff have needed to physically hold the child and no allegations have been made against staff. On one occasion, records made by staff and leaders relating to an incident were not consistent with regard to comments made by the child. There are appropriate risk assessments in place to support staff practice, and these are updated following incidents. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 3 There was an incident where an old e-cigarette was found in the child’s room. Leaders did not act in line with the policies and procedures of the home, including not conducting a room search. Furthermore, the way in which the manager and staff addressed the situation with the child regarding e-cigarette use did not reflect the expectations set out in the policies and procedures of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager and the deputy manager work closely together to ensure the smooth running of the home. Leaders have implemented a thorough action plan to support development of the staff and the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Several staff who have worked in children’s homes for some time have not gained their qualification. The manager has had oversight of this, including discussing qualifications with staff in supervision, and has protected time for staff to work on their qualifications. However, timescales for staff to complete their qualification are not clear in the associated risk assessment.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff feel supported by leaders and enjoy working in the home. Staff benefit from regular team meetings, which consider the needs of the child. Staff receive supervision regularly, and the manager carries out targeted supervision as necessary to support staff practice. However, staff in their probation period have not received supervision in line with the statement of purpose for the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 5

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff in their probationary period receive supervision in line with the statement of purpose for the home. 15 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the response to allegations, ensuring that these are investigated and that children are informed of the outcome.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 15 May 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of the individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. Information on restraint and deprivation of liberty is contained in the protection of children section of the guide from paragraph 9.41. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. Staff should discuss the decision with the child’s

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Recommendations

placing authority where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and that the above principles as set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

This recommendation was raised at the last inspection and is restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Tamika McCalla-Gibson

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Inspector

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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