Children's Home run by Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 1 SC481312 Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to 3 children with complex emotional needs.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children's home

There were 3 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All children were present, and 2 children spoke with the inspector.

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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: SC481312 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good 17/07/2024 Full Good 28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 3

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Summary of findings

The home provides a warm, welcoming and well-maintained environment where children feel comfortable and at ease. Children are encouraged and supported to personalise their bedrooms, which helps them develop a strong sense of belonging.

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from care delivered by a stable and nurturing staff team. Managers and staff know the children well and work collaboratively with the clinical team to ensure that care is tailored to children's individual needs and remains aligned with their care plans.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have a consistent and child - focused approach, and this promotes an individualised approach to care. The registered manager maintains good oversight of the service and ensures that staff are supported to provide care that prioritises children's wellbeing and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home after another child returned to live with family members. The child experienced a positive and planned move into the home, which helped them to settle well. Managers worked well with the placing authority for the child who moved from the home to ensure that they were supported to move on positively despite the move being unexpected. Children say they like living at the home. One child told the inspector that the managers and staff feel like their second family. The child said they feel able to talk to staff about anything. Managers and staff regularly consult with children to gain their views and involve them in day-to-day decision-making about their home. This approach enables children to contribute to decisions about the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a calm and nurturing environment, where individualised care is delivered by staff who are supported by the in-house clinical team to understand children's current and emerging needs. This helps children to feel settled in the home and valued. As a result, children feel comfortable talking about their feelings, and they make progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are in education. The manager and staff advocate well for children to ensure that their education provision is appropriate and that children receive the support they need to engage positively with learning. One child's social worker said that staff had been 'amazing advocates' for the child in her care and that they respectfully challenged the child's school when an incident affected the child's motivation to attend. The social worker reported that the work of the manager and staff with the school led to changes that supported the child's reintegration back into education. As a result, children are supported to remain motivated and to access the opportunities they need to succeed. Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 4 Managers and staff work closely with children's placing authorities and family members to ensure that children can safely spend time with the people who are important to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

them. Staff manage complex family dynamics with sensitivity and professionalism. This enables children to maintain meaningful relationships with those they value and wish to remain part of their lives. As a result, children are supported to experience positive time with family members where appropriate. For example, as part of family time, the home celebrated a child's family member's birthday, demonstrating a commitment to creating positive, meaningful experiences that strengthen family relationships.

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

There have been minimal incidents since the last inspection. The registered manager responded appropriately to an allegation by a child about a staff member employed by another children's home provider. Relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer, were informed, and appropriate action was taken to safeguard the child.

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

When children have been missing from home, staff have responded promptly, shown professional curiosity and followed agreed protocols. Managers and staff have worked with social workers, family members and the police to support children to return home safely. On their return, staff offer reassurance and complete work with children to understand the reasons for them going missing and reduce the likelihood of future occurrences.

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

Managers and staff have worked well with the in-house clinical team to help one child process their feelings relating to complex family dynamics. The home has created an outdoor splatter room where the child can use paint to safely express and release emotions. This is reported to have helped the child to deal with some of their feelings, resulting in a reduction of self-harming behaviours. The child's social worker said that staff know the child well and are aware of changes in their mood. This has helped to ensure that the child has support to help them better manage their emotions.

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

Staff undertake work with children to support their understanding of potential risks. This work is ongoing and tailored to children's individual needs and levels of independence. For example, following an online incident, staff completed individualised work with children around online safety, helping to increase their understanding of how to keep themselves safe online. This was followed by additional monitoring and updates to children's risk assessments to ensure that the strategies used by staff recognise and reduce known and emerging risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a conscientious registered manager who has a clear understanding of the service's strengths and areas for development. He is supportive of his team's growth and ensures that training and development opportunities are available to promote practice that informs the quality of care children receive. He is a strong Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 5 advocate for children's views and ensures that these are central to decision-making. The manager has a good understanding of each child's starting point and the progress they have made since moving into the home. He is supported by active monitoring and oversight from an experienced responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are supported by a committed staff team, with newer members being guided by experienced colleagues to provide consistent, nurturing care that aligns with children's care plans. As a result, children benefit from stable, informed care that meets their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff work closely with the provider's clinical team to support their understanding of each child's lived experiences and to ensure that they use the home's model of care to support children's progress. This enables a tailored approach to care that is supportive and attuned to meeting children's individual needs. As a result, children experience care that appropriately responds to their individual needs and helps them feel safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through reflective team meetings that take into account their voices and opinions about developments in the home. Staff receive regular supervision and say that they feel well supported by managers both professionally and personally.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is currently in the process of moving to a new recording system. Overall, the manager evidenced his ability to work between the current systems during this transition period to support management oversight and identify and respond to practice shortfalls. However, records of one child's move from the home did not easily or clearly detail how the child was supported to move on positively. For the child, this means that an important part of their story could be lost should they want to access their records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall feedback from external parties highlights that managers and staff ensure that children receive consistent, nurturing care that promotes their emotional wellbeing and supports continued progress. Professionals and parents told the inspector that their children have made good progress since living in the home. One social worker said that the dedicated care child in his care has received has helped the child to build close, trusting relationships with staff, which has supported the child's development. This has included educational and social progress, resulting in increased confidence and engagement. One family member said how settled their child was in the home and described communication with managers and staff as 'good', noting that they keep them up to date with their child's progress and any significant events. Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, records should be made of children's transition out of care to evidence how children are supported to move on positively. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC481312 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Keys Specialist Residential Children's Services Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Keys Group, Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector

Sharon Douglas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC481312 8 regulates 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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