Children's Home run by Keys Active 8 Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 1 Registered provider: Keys Active 8 Care 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 by a private company. It registered with Ofsted in August 2025 and provides care for up to 5 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties. It provides a bespoke 90-day placement, offering a programme of activity and intervention.

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Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

One child lives in the home and was spoken to during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 4 November 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: 2821705 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 3

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Summary of findings

A new manager has been recruited since the last inspection and is bringing stability to the home. In the short period that the child has been living there, they have built some positive relationships with staff and have established routines that will help to prepare them for when they move on to a more permanent home.

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Summary of findings

There is a high number of incidents relating to behaviour, and physical interventions are frequently used to manage these. Overall, action taken by staff is appropriate. However, there are shortfalls in systems and processes and subsequent management oversight for improving staff practice and supporting ongoing improvements in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living in the home. Since moving in, the child has made progress in establishing routines, building relationships with staff and maintaining positive relationships with their family. The child is shortly due to move on due to the natural conclusion of their placement. Careful consideration is being made to ensure that their next move is one in which the child can continue to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have helped the child to re-engage in education following a period of disruption, and this now forms part of their daily routine. The child has completed bespoke training awards in various topics, including wood working, kitchen safety and hygiene. The inspector saw the child engaging in an educational activity with staff during the inspection. The child proudly showed the inspector work they had completed. Activities such as these provide them with a sense of achievement and help to prepare them for their return to formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has opportunities to enjoy a range of activities and new experiences, which build their confidence and enable them to have fun. The home is well equipped to provide children with different outdoor pursuits, including water sports, biking and climbing, which the child regularly takes part in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child has regular time with their family and manage this with sensitivity. They work hard to ensure that consistent arrangements are in place. Staff communicate well with family members, which helps them to reassure the child, prepare them for any changes to plans and enables the child to have positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is pleasant and homely and there is lots of space for children to move around and play. Staff have access to vehicles that are suitable for transferring children and equipment for activities. However, some delays in maintenance, in particular to the outdoor areas, can make the garden unusable, and unrepaired damage that happens during incidents does not help children to move on from these. Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 4 Staff do not always ensure that the child has positive endings. One member of staff left employment without notifying the child. The child has lived in multiple homes prior to moving in and this added to their sense of rejection.

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

Staff implement clear routines and boundaries that have helped the child to settle in the home. The child says that they get on well with everyone and can go to any of the staff if they have a concern.

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

While incidents have been high, staff understand the reasons behind behaviours. Staff make effective use of the professional learning opportunities that they receive to support the child. Incentives are also used to help reinforce those routines and expected behaviours, which help the child to feel safe.

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

Leaders take appropriate action to keep children safe when someone raises an allegation. They share information with relevant professionals and investigate the concerns fully. Leaders keep children informed and, where appropriate, act swiftly to help rebuild relationships.

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

There are sometimes missed opportunities for the child to understand how to keep safe. While staff have regular discussions with them, they frequently lack the depth needed to help equip the child with the knowledge and understanding that will help them to stay safe and make positive choices.

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

The reporting of incidents and physical interventions are generally well documented. However, they are not always reviewed in a timely manner. In addition, learning from incidents is not widely shared to support staff development and bring about improvements in practice.

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

Physical interventions are frequently needed to support the child during periods of crisis. Overall, staff use the least-restrictive options to help keep the child and others safe. However, on one occasion when a member of staff had used an unauthorised method of restraint, this was quickly picked up by the manager. While the child did not experience harm, failure to follow approved procedures has the potential to leave the child vulnerable.

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

There are some shortfalls in the safe management of medicines in the home. For example, following an incident, leaders made changes to the administration processes. However, the new processes have not been clearly shared across the staff team to ensure that all staff are aware of the changes. In addition, the storage of medicines has exceeded recommended temperatures to ensure the medicines' ongoing effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, a suitably qualified manager has been appointed with relevant experience in managing activity and intervention services. The manager is a visible Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 5 presence in the home and has the support of an effective leadership and clinical team. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the new manager. This has brought much-needed stability to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have an accurate understanding of the home's strengths and areas for improvement. They recognise the need for significant work to establish robust systems for overseeing the quality of care the home provides. Leaders' efforts are currently focused on recruiting and developing a stable staff team. Leaders have made a conscious decision to not take more children at present so they can focus on the needs of the current child who attends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders provide staff with a comprehensive induction and professional learning programme. However, opportunities for staff to improve their practice are limited. Shortfalls in managers' monitoring and oversight mean that there are missed opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice. For example, there could be reflection and learning when staff have not worked as a team, to improve the quality of important conversations with children, and ensure that important daily tasks are completed by staff. Furthermore, staff do not consistently receive supervision in line with the home's statement of purpose. This limits opportunities for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home lacks clear systems for ensuring that children's views are routinely captured. This limits opportunities for children to have a say about the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers follow statutory guidance when recruiting staff. They carry out appropriate checks on new staff before they work at the home. This ensures that children receive the care they need from suitably vetted staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Professionals speak highly of the manager and staff team. One professional said of the support from staff and the manager for the child that, 'It is beyond my expectation; he [the child] is engaging in education and finding ways to express his emotions.' Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 6

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must maintain monitoring systems that effectively oversee the work of the staff team that 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 7 include the oversight of daily tasks, incidents and important conversations with children. This oversight should be reflective and supportive of staff development to improve the quality of care.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, all staff must receive regular supervision, and children should have clear opportunities to have a say about the running of the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children receive positive endings when a member of staff moves on from the home, regardless of the reason. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 21, paragraph 4.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are consistently stored at the correct temperature in line with manufacturer's instructions to ensure their ongoing effectiveness. In addition, the registered manager should ensure that all staff receive clear and consistent guidance as to how medicines should be administered to children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: 2821705 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Keys Active 8 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

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2821705 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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