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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private provider. It is registered to care for up to 3 children who may experience emotional, behavioural, mental health or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in July 2025. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 2 December 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 3

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Summary of findings

The child benefits from a warm, welcoming home, with a personalised bedroom reflecting their interests. Leaders and staff have high aspirations, and through consistent, child-centred care the child is making positive progress in education, social development and confidence. Achievements are recognised and celebrated, supporting self-esteem. Leaders have effective monitoring systems to identify shortfalls and respond proactively, including developing staff practice. Staff speak positively about the support provided by the registered manager and describe the home as a safe and supportive environment where they feel valued and able to develop their skills, which contributes to improved outcomes for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals speak positively about the support provided by the registered manager. The social worker particularly praised the progress the child is making and the strength of leaders’ advocacy on their behalf. Through consistent, therapeutic care, the child is making meaningful progress and is increasingly able to engage in activities. There is a strong commitment from leaders and staff, who demonstrate high aspirations for the child. As a result, the child benefits from consistent support and advocacy, which contributes to improved confidence, participation and overall outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education for the child is prioritised. The registered manager demonstrates strong advocacy to ensure the child’s educational progress is maintained, working closely with education partners to ensure provision is tailored, child-focused and in the child’s best interests. The child is now attending daily tutor-led education following a significant period out of formal learning. During the time when education was not in place, staff ensured the child continued to engage in daily educational activities. These were carefully tailored to the child’s interests and hobbies, supporting meaningful engagement and maintaining routine. As a result, the child has been supported to re- engage with education and continues to make positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is involved in decisions. Weekly children’s meetings are held, where the child is able to reflect on their week and celebrate achievements. These also include decisions on meals, activities and the decoration of the home. Views shared by the child are acted upon. Leaders take the time to write the child thank-you cards for sharing their views and say how proud of them they are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Internal plans are child focused. Plans are created alongside local authority care plans and child-centred meetings. These are clear and detailed, showing clearly the actions for staff to complete. Short- and long-term goals are included and are reviewed monthly, celebrating the child’s progress and reflecting on the support for staff to implement, going forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 4 Leaders ensure that the child is given opportunities to support their social interactions and integration into the community. The child is making considerable progress in this area, and their confidence is building in activities with staff and in feeling confident to explore the community. This evidences the strong relationships between staff members and the child, and staff’s proactive and consistent approach.

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

Room searches are only undertaken when necessary to safeguard the child. Staff communicate openly, explaining the reasons beforehand. This promotes trust and transparency, and helps the child to feel respected while maintaining their safety.

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

Consistency and boundaries are implemented to support the child’s health. Leaders are proactive in ensuring the child understands risks to their health, and educate them on the effects on their physical wellbeing. When risks are low, conversations still take place regularly, and appropriate safeguarding action is taken to ensure there are no further risks to the child.

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

Leaders are proactive when medication errors are found. Staff benefit from support and training to ensure they have the correct knowledge, and competency audits are completed to assure this. Leaders are reflective on how they can support staff, implement more proactive audit processes and have best practice in terms of administering medication.

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

Staff complete clear, detailed and regularly updated risk assessments, ensuring the child remains central to all planning. These include practical management strategies and a helpful chronology, supporting staff to understand and respond to risks effectively. Staff also provide regular planned and unplanned key-work sessions, offering the child consistent opportunities to reflect, build relationships and develop their understanding of important topics.

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

As a result, the child benefits from consistent care and feels supported and understood. The structured approach to risk management helps to keep the child safe while promoting their development. However, where staff do not always take proactive opportunities to address known risks, such as online safety, this can limit the child’s ability to fully understand and manage these risks independently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager can identify strengths and areas for development in the staff team effectively. They are proactive in supporting staff practice, ensuring that staff are well equipped to meet the needs of the children and provide effective care and support. Staff speak highly of the support from leaders. Leaders have thorough oversight of the home, which ensures any areas for development are quickly identified and addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 5 Supervisions are child-centred, reflective and detailed. Leaders have an effective monitoring system in place to ensure all staff receive supervision in line with the statement of purpose. These sessions are tailored to both the individual child and the staff member, promoting meaningful reflection. Discussions focus on the child’s needs and progress, alongside staff’s wellbeing and professional development. Safeguarding scenarios are regularly incorporated, linked to the child or wider contexts, providing

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

staff with opportunities to explore responses, reflect on practice and strengthen their understanding of appropriate actions to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are detailed and child focused. Incidents and safeguarding are discussed regularly, and a clear focus is on reflection. Staff are encouraged to share what went well and improvements to be made. Staff engage in monthly reflective sessions facilitated by trained professionals, with discussions directly linked to the child’s current needs, vulnerabilities and experiences. This supports staff understanding and promotes a consistent, therapeutic approach to care, leading to positive outcomes for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete all mandatory training, including safeguarding. In addition, managers proactively identify and source further learning opportunities that align with the individual and emerging needs of the child living in the home. This ensures staff develop the specialist knowledge and skills required to provide informed and effective care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822054 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. They should ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would, and ensure that staff help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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: 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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Inspector

Louisa West, Social Care Inspector 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 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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