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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 1 Registered provider: Keys Child Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and is privately owned. It provides short-term care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector spoke with the child during the visit.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2025 Full Outstanding 08/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 3

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Summary of findings

The child is thriving and making exceptional progress from their starting point. They benefit from highly individualised care delivered by a skilled and committed team that understands their needs exceptionally well. Staff provide consistent support that promotes the child’s safety, emotional wellbeing and development. Strong leadership and effective oversight have created a positive culture in which high expectations and ambitious care planning help children to achieve excellent outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child has made exceptional and sustained progress from their starting point. They benefit from highly individualised care from a skilled and compassionate team that knows them exceptionally well. They have developed trusting relationships with staff and speak confidently about feeling safe and secure. As a result, they have developed greater confidence and self-worth, are proud of their achievements and embrace new opportunities that support their continued progress and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child has developed a strong sense of belonging in a warm, welcoming and supportive home. They are relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings and enjoy spending time with staff. Their achievements, interests and important life experiences are celebrated and reflected throughout the home. The child has a memory book holding photos and information about the opportunities and experiences they have enjoyed since moving into the home. This helps them recognize the progress they have made, develop confidence and maintain a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Support for the child is informed by regular psychological consultation. This helps staff understand the child’s experiences and needs and ensures that care planning and support are tailored to them. Staff use this knowledge to provide sensitive and consistent support. As a result, the child experiences stability, develops resilience and makes excellent progress from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning is highly individualised, trauma informed, and ambitious for the child. Plans prioritise the child’s safety, wellbeing, education and future development while ensuring that their wishes and feelings influence both daily care and longer-term planning. This helps the child feel listened to, respected and involved in decisions about their life. However, the recently introduced recording system does not readily enable the child to access, review or contribute to their plans. As a result, the child is not yet able to access, review and contribute to records about their care and progress.

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

The child is cared for by a highly skilled and experienced team that has an exceptional understanding of their individual vulnerabilities, strengths and experiences. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 4 consistently respond to the child’s needs with warmth, patience and sensitivity. Safeguarding is central to practice, and staff are confident in identifying, responding to and reporting concerns. This helps the child feel safe, understood and protected.

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

The child has made remarkable progress in relation to their safety and emotional wellbeing. Since moving into the home, incidents have reduced significantly in both frequency and severity. Staff provide calm, consistent support when the child struggles to manage their emotions or accept boundaries. Through these carefully considered responses, the child is learning safer ways to understand and express their emotions.

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

There have been no incidents of the child going missing from home, safeguarding concerns or complaints since the last inspection. This demonstrates the significant progress the child has made and reflects their increasing sense of safety, security and trust in the adults who care for them.

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

When risks have escalated and immediate intervention has been required, staff have used physical intervention appropriately, as a last resort and for the shortest period necessary. Managers review incidents effectively and ensure that responses remain proportionate, child focused and informed by the child’s individual needs. This helps to ensure that the child receives consistent support that promotes their safety and wellbeing.

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

The child lives in a safe, secure and well-maintained home where risks are identified and managed effectively. Regular health and safety monitoring promotes a physically safe environment. The child understands what action to take in an emergency and confidently participates in fire drills. This supports their understanding of safety and helps them develop confidence in responding appropriately to potential risks.

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

Leaders and managers maintain robust recruitment procedures. Comprehensive checks ensure that adults are suitable to work with children before they begin employment. This helps protect children from harm and ensures that they are cared for by suitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management are highly effective. Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. A well-planned transition, supported by the previous registered manager, has ensured continuity of leadership and oversight. As a result, the child has continued to receive high-quality care and made excellent progress during this period of change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have been successful in creating and maintaining a highly aspirational and nurturing culture. They know the child exceptionally well and ensure that the child’s needs, strengths and aspirations consistently inform practice. Professionals speak highly of the care provided and recognise the significant contribution staff make to the child’s progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 5 Staff speak warmly and passionately about the child and are immensely proud of the progress they have made. They demonstrate genuine affection for the child and have a clear understanding of their needs, strengths and aspirations. Staff describe a strong and supportive team whose members work closely together to help the child achieve the best possible outcomes. They speak highly of leaders and managers, describing them as approachable, supportive and invested in both the child’s progress and staff wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel valued, listened to and empowered to make a positive difference in the child’s life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive high-quality support through regular supervision, reflective practice and a comprehensive programme of training and development. The involvement of a psychologist strengthens staff’s understanding of the child’s experiences and needs, enabling them to provide responsive care. Strong management oversight and effective communication ensure a consistent approach to practice. As a result, the child receives highly individualised support and continues to make excellent progress across all areas of their life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The provider is implementing a new recording and reporting system. During the inspection, the transfer of information limited leaders’ and managers’ ability to promptly access and share some records. This reduced leaders’ ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of monitoring and quality assurance systems during the inspection. Neither shortfall has had a negative impact on the child’s experiences, progress or safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to access, contribute to and influence records relating to their care, plans and progress. This will help to ensure that children are fully involved in decisions about their lives and that their views, wishes and feelings are reflected in records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that monitoring and quality assurance systems are supported by accessible and effective recording systems. This will assist leaders and managers to demonstrate effective oversight of practice and the impact of quality assurance activities on children’s experiences and progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2743656 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keys Child Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2743656 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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