Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 1 Registered provider: Keys Educational Services Limited 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 managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in post.

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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: 1239953 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2025 Full Good 21/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2024 Full Good 04/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress and are cared for by staff who know them well. Safeguarding concerns are managed by competent and knowledgeable staff, who demonstrate a commitment to learning from incidents and preventing them from reoccurring. The home is managed by an experienced and ambitious registered manager who models high standards of practice. Unplanned changes in the staff team have caused some instability for staff and children, but leaders and managers are addressing these concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in this home and are valued by the adults who look after them. Staff are clear on the importance of building long-lasting and meaningful relationships with children and take time to understand their unique needs. Staff promote positive relationships between the children, and any conflicts or disagreements are sensitively addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and support the children to attend school. The children’s attendance is generally good, and staff maintain good communication with school staff to ensure smooth transitions. Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children to ensure that their educational needs are met and an appropriate education provision is secured.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the children’s health needs are met and are vigilant regarding any new or emerging concerns. Medical advice is sought when needed, and staff are proactive in supporting the children to have healthy routines, including sleep. The children’s emotional needs are well understood, and staff adopt a child-led approach when considering any interventions that may be required. Children benefit from one-to-one support from the in-house therapy team, which helps them better understand their feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated in several creative ways, and staff tailor their responses to meet each child’s needs. Rewards are meaningful to each child, and they are given the opportunity to work towards activities or chosen items.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to speak about a range of sensitive issues. As well as having ad hoc conversations, leaders and managers carefully consider the needs of the children and ensure that there is a focus on targeted and meaningful topics for each child. Secure relationships with staff enable children to explore their feelings, helping them to better understand any difficulties they may be experiencing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff sensitively approach lifestyle choices to ensure that children are given the right information to make healthy, informed decisions. They encourage children to engage in Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 4 age-appropriate activities to promote their independence, such as shopping and cooking. Children are involved in producing shopping lists and are supported to cook their own meals, which supports the development of their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take time to listen to children’s views about how they wish to maintain contact and spend time with their relatives and friends. Staff work with children’s family members to ensure that children maintain regular, meaningful and safe contact with their loved ones.

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

When children go missing from home, staff are persistent in their attempts to locate them and ensure that relevant professionals are kept up to date. When children return home, they are warmly welcomed back and offered food and nurture. For one child, the frequency of missing-from-home incidents reduced significantly due to the extensive efforts of leaders and managers to ensure the child’s views were listened to and fully incorporated into an age-appropriate and safe plan for them to see their loved ones.

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

Plans to support staff to minimise risk are up to date, clear and concise. Children are involved in writing their plans to help staff keep them safe. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development and learn skills to help keep themselves safe. Children enjoy spending meaningful time with their friends in the community without any unnecessary restrictions.

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

A serious incident occurred in the community, which resulted in significant harm to a child. No concerns were identified in relation to managers’ and staff’s practice. Leaders and managers carried out a comprehensive learning review and identified several areas where there were shortfalls in the multi-agency response. In response, leaders and managers have adopted an organisational approach to ensure more effective ways of sharing information in relation to risks.

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

Staff take a balanced approach to risk when keeping children safe online. Monitoring apps and regular mobile phone checks are used to ensure that children are not accessing harmful online content. Staff demonstrate professional curiosity to openly explore any topics or issues that may arise, which helps children to feel safe when sharing any worries.

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

There have been several allegations made against staff. These have been appropriately responded to, including decisions being made about the suitability of individuals to work with children. Leaders and managers have followed the correct procedures and notified relevant agencies when necessary.

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

Safeguarding concerns are well managed, and action taken to address any issues is robust and timely. Incident reports are clearly recorded with management oversight and some learning from practice identified. However, learning has not always been effective at preventing reoccurrences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated and tenacious manager who has a good understanding of the children’s needs. The manager models good practice and has a nurturing and trusting relationship with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers respond to children’s views in several ways, and children are involved in decision-making in the home. Children know who to speak to if they are unhappy or wish to make a complaint, but no complaints have been received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming, and the children’s bedrooms are personalised to a high standard. Staff involve children in designing and decorating shared spaces in the home, which helps them have a sense of belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a wide variety of training, including bespoke courses to meet children’s individual needs. New staff are provided with an in-depth induction programme, which includes mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that they work closely with the family and multi-agency network around each child. Feedback from families and professionals is positive about staff, the care of the children and the progress they are making. Professionals say that staff are kind, patient and relational in their approach and that the home has a strong team with good management. A family member commented, ‘The communication with me is brilliant… They are amazing, and they are doing a great job.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Unplanned changes in the staff team have affected the stability for those remaining and caused some difficulties in communication. Leaders and managers are addressing these team dynamics, and staff have said that they feel supported by this approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions and team meetings are held regularly and are used to explore staff welfare and team-related matters. However, they do not consistently reflect on or discuss learning from practice. Managers recognise this as an area for development and are taking action to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 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 for children’s home: 1239953 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Educational Services 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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Inspector

Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1239953 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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