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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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SC487488 Registered provider: Keys Child 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for one Child, who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for one child. The inspector spoke with the child during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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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: 9 December 2025

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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: SC487488 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2025 Full Good 22/10/2024 Full Good 17/10/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

The child makes good progress because they receive consistent care from staff, who know them well. Staff provide a safe, stable and nurturing home, where the child feels listened to and valued.

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Summary of findings

The manager leads the home effectively and has high aspirations for the child.

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Summary of findings

There are opportunities to strengthen independence planning for the child, improve the outdoor environment and ensure that written records consistently reflect the ethos of the home’s statement of purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for over 4 years and has made good progress. Staff provide stability and consistency, enabling the child to develop a strong sense of permanence, security and belonging. Staff know the child well, listen to their views and invest time in building meaningful relationships. As a result, the child has developed trusting relationships with staff. The child enjoys spending time with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is actively involved in planning for their care needs. The child has opportunities to influence decisions about their life. When the child raises concerns, these are taken seriously by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff investigate complaints appropriately and talk to the child about the outcome of their complaint. Staff ensure the child is satisfied with the response.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and reflects the warm, family-centred ethos created by the manager. However, the external areas of the home are not consistently well maintained or presented. Outdoor furniture is not kept in good condition and the overall appearance of these areas does not provide a welcoming and inviting environment that encourages the child to spend time outdoors. A recommendation is made to reflect this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends college regularly and is making good progress in education. Staff support the child to prepare for adulthood and develop independence skills. However, independence plans are broad and lack specific, measurable actions. This limits effective monitoring and evaluation of the child’s progress. Despite this, the child has made some progress with independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to manage their life-long medical condition well and promote increasing independence in managing their own health. The child now self-administers medication and is becoming more confident in attending health appointments Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

independently, with staff providing support when needed. Feedback from a health professional is positive and confirms that the child’s health needs are well met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff receive training in the home’s therapeutic model of care and benefit from monthly consultation sessions delivered by the home’s therapist, tailored to the child’s individual needs. As a result, staff demonstrate a good understanding of the child’s needs and adapt their care accordingly. However, some written records contain language that is not child centred. This does not reflect the values and ethos described in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff caring practices provide clear, consistent boundaries that are underpinned by the home’s therapeutic approach and model of care. They place the child’s welbeing at the centre of their practice, celebrate achievements and ensure their day-to-day needs are met. The child enjoys cooking, sharing meals, watching television and relaxing with staff, as well as taking part in activities, days out and holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote meaningful and safe relationships with family and friends. They ensure that the child spends time with people, who are important to them.

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

The child says that they feel safe. They have developed trusting relationships with staff and say that they can talk to them about any worries or concerns. The child shares their thoughts and feelings openly with staff. Staff use creative approaches, such as a ‘worry monster’, to help the child express their feelings in a way that meets their individual needs.

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

Staff respond promptly to safeguarding concerns. They work effectively with the child’s social worker and other safeguarding professionals. This ensures a coordinated multi- agency response. When the child raises concerns or makes a complaint, staff listen to them, take appropriate action and ensure that the child understands this

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

When the child goes missing from home, staff act quickly to protect them from harm and follow the home’s missing-from-home procedures. Following incidents, the manager ensures that staff and the child have opportunities to reflect. The manager evaluates incidents, identifies actions to reduce further risks and maintains good oversight. She ensures that return home interviews are completed promptly by the local authority.

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

Staff help the child to understand and manage risks that are appropriate to their age and understanding. Staff help the child to learn from incidents.

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

The child’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed. They reflect the child’s known risks and vulnerabilities. The manager provides staff with clear guidance that helps to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

Staff understand the child’s experiences and recognise the factors that can influence their behaviour. They provide consistent boundaries, promote positive behaviour and use de-escalation strategies that are developed with the child. For example, staff use a notepad to communicate, when the child finds it difficult to express themselves verbally. This approach helps the child to regulate their emotions safely and reduces the likelihood of situations escalating.

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

The manager and responsible individual ensure that staff are safely recruited. This ensures that only suitable adults care for the child.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with closed cultures and work transparently to promote openness and accountability.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities, follow safeguarding procedures and promptly share child protection concerns with the relevant safeguarding professionals.

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

The manager and staff provide a safe and secure environment for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager has high aspirations for the child and creates a warm and nurturing environment, where the child thrives. The home has sufficient staff to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the quality of care that staff provide for the child effectively. She evaluates incidents and identifies strengths and areas for improvement in staff caring and safeguarding practices. She ensures that learning is shared through team meetings and supervision. This helps staff to reflect on their practice and make improvements where needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the child’s plans clearly identify their needs. Plans reflect the placing authority’s care plan and identify the actions needed to achieve the child’s agreed outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on the child’s experiences, progress and plans. Supervision is well recorded and supports staff to develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and development opportunities are effective. They are focused on ensuring that staff can meet the child’s specific needs. The manager ensures that training is well embedded in practice by testing staff’s knowledge and understanding during supervisions and team meetings. She is beginning to talk to staff about how research can support staff to improve their practices. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well together and provide the child with stable and consistent care. Staff report that they are well led by the manager, who creates a positive culture in the home. This supports consistent care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Practice is generally consistent with the home’s statement of purpose and therapeutic model of care. However, some written records do not fully reflect the home’s therapeutic ethos. The manager recognises this shortfall and has a plan in place to address it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies the appropriate agencies of significant events without delay. She takes appropriate action following incidents to ensure that the child’s needs are met and that they remain safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff record information about the child using language that is consistent with the home’s therapeutic model of care and trauma-informed ethos and, that as necessary, all written records reflect the values and principles set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that plans to develop the child’s independence and resilience contain specific, achievable and measurable actions, with regular evaluation of progress to demonstrate the impact of the support provided and identify any changes required. 23 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendation

 The registered manager should ensure that the external areas of the home are well maintained and provide a welcoming, inviting environment for children to spend time in. This includes ensuring that outdoor furniture is kept in good condition and that these areas are regularly maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC487488 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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

Bethany Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC487488 10 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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