SC395716 Registered provider: Bettercare Keys Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework Information about this children’s home This is a privately run children‘s home, registered to care for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Inspection dates: 4 to 5 September 2017 Overall experiences and progress of children and young people, taking into account good How well children and young people are helped and protected good The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good The children‘s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good. Date of last inspection: 6 February 2017 Overall judgement at last inspection: Good Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 1 Key findings from this inspection This children‘s home is good because:  Young people are happy in their home and form good relationships with staff.  Staff engage young people in educational activities and enable them to build the confidence to return to full-time education.  Feedback from placing professionals is positive. One referred to the ‗patience and perseverance‘ of the staff team.  Young people feel safe and engage with staff to reduce their risk-taking behaviour/s, such as taking part in violent incidents and running away from the home.  Young people clearly have a voice in the home, which is strongly evidenced in their care plans and risk assessments.  Staff advocate strongly for young people, either by seeking extra support from placing authorities or obtaining specialist support via child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The children‘s home‘s areas for development:  Succession planning is poor in the home. The registered manager is due to go on maternity leave at the end of September 2017, and a successor is yet to be identified.  There is an over-reliance on agency staff in the home, one of whom has not received any formal supervision since commencing work.  The home is lacking a formal plan for service and workforce development. Recent inspection history Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 06/02/2017 Full Good 03/05/2016 Interim Not judged 14/01/2016 Interim Not judged 30/09/2015 Interim Not judged Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 2 What does the children’s home need to do to improve? Statutory requirements This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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. Requirement 33: Employment of staff Due date 01/11/2017 The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4) (b)) 35: Behaviour management policies and records 01/11/2017 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (―the behaviour management policy‖) which sets out— How appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‘s home. (Regulation 35 (1) (a)) In particular, this relates to the need for staff to have clear guidance concerning room searches. Recommendations  Establish development of the home‘s effective working relationships with each placing authority and with other relevant persons which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community, e.g. police, schools, health and youth offending teams (Regulation 5 – Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‘s needs are met). (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  Ensure that the registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the quality standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 3 factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home‘s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  Ensure that no more than half of the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 54, paragraph 10.17)  Ensure the registered person only accepts placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‘s assessed needs as recorded in the child‘s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 56, paragraph 11.4)Devise a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: - detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home‘s Statement of Purpose; - detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); - detail the process for managing and improving poor performance. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home‘s manager. This is also with reference to ensuring staff training in radicalisation and refresher training in safeguarding. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 4 Inspection judgements Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good Young people are happy in their home and feel accepted and valued. They enjoy the company of staff and actively seek them out for activities, such as going to the cinema, completing puzzles and playing games in the local park. Young people settle quickly in the home and form good relationships with staff. One young person commented, ‗It‘s cool. I like it here.‘ This feedback is echoed by placing professionals, who refer to the ‗perseverance and commitment‘ of the staff team and the ‗reduction in incidents and better behaviour‘ of young people. Young people benefit from a child-centred, caring ethos in the home. The staff team is varied in terms of ethnicity, age and skill base. Staff are well equipped to meet the needs of young people. They are committed and insightful. They consistently focus on the emotions behind young people‘s behaviours and not on the specific behaviours themselves. This promotes a bespoke, reflective and successful approach to responding to the needs of young people. Outcomes in the home are improved. One young person recently returned to the care of a family member with good levels of support from staff; this supported a difficult transitional process. Improved outcomes are linked to better engagement in education. One young person is due to commence a full-time college course after being absent from education for three years. Staff engage well with the host local authority to provide a range of educational courses and learning materials. Staff communicate regularly with education providers to monitor attendance and provide support and transportation Staff understand that the word ‗education‘ may act as a deterrent for young people. To counter this, staff skilfully use everyday routines, such as watching the news on television or baking a cake, to encourage an understanding of current affairs, numeracy and independence skills, without labelling the interaction as ‗education‘. All progress made by young people is warmly celebrated with a certificate and positive reinforcement from staff. Where engagement is difficult, staff seek creative solutions to encourage young people to participate in their learning, such as education providers attending the home to outline course content and the benefits of regular attendance. Staff are proactive and think ahead. One young person was allocated a staff member to support him throughout a difficult first week at college. This acts as a reminder of staff commitment and the importance attached to education. Key work is regular and effective. Staff use inventive techniques, such as word games and gentle encouragement, to focus on relevant issues, such as the anxiety resulting from the commencement of the school year. Young people draft their own daily planners and receive help from staff to think through a range of emotions and scenarios that help to lessen their anxieties. Staff support safe, managed contact with friends and family. Family contact supports Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 5 good levels of placement stability and allows young people to develop relationships that will sustain them into adulthood. Visitors are encouraged to attend the home, and staff supervise closely. This helps staff to understand family dynamics, build relationships with family and friends and use these experiences in the resulting key work discussions and assessments. Advocacy and consultation for young people are strong. Young people understand how to complain and are routinely offered independent advocacy. Staff are presently pursuing a placing authority for the return of the belongings of one young person, which are held in storage. In addition, staff vigorously pursued a CAMHS assessment for one young person, which ensured that he receives the specialist support that he requires. Young people‘s meetings take place regularly and are a useful forum for planning activities and outings. Care plans and risk assessments are read by young people, and they are encouraged to contribute to these. When sanctions are put in place, young people are supported to offer their wishes and feelings. Young people understand the work being attempted by staff and are keenly aware of the benefits. Staff ensure that young people have access to healthcare services and they promote the importance of sustained engagement. Staff emphasise the importance of taking regular exercise. Access to junk food and takeaways is limited, and staff encourage young people to assist in the preparation of healthy foods and snacks. How well children and young people are helped and protected: good There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home. Staff realise the value of effective multi-agency work with key professionals, such as youth offending services, to monitor compliance and continually risk assess. Advice and guidance are readily sought from the host local authority on complex issues, such as the radicalisation of young people. When a response is delayed, staff pursue a resolution and conclusion to any concerns. Individual placement plans, behaviour plans, risk assessments and health plans are of good quality. Documentation gives a clear and vivid description of progress and work towards meeting behavioural and educational goals. Any potential risks, such as a change in peer group association, are swiftly identified and staff intervene quickly. Reports are based on observations from the professional network and rigorous case recording. Behaviour management is effective and there is no use of restraint. Staff work in partnership to enforce boundaries fairly and consistently. When incidents occur, young people learn to apologise to the staff member concerned and in some cases assist staff in repairing any damage to the home. Recently, this involved the rehanging of the home‘s front door. Police call outs to the home are infrequent. Staff are skilled in deescalating the challenging behaviours of young people. They are keenly aware of the negative impact of criminalising young people and the importance of the home as a place of safety. Sanctions are restorative and clearly explained to young people. Effective Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 6 sanctioning allows young people to make amends and reflect on their behaviour well. Case records show a decrease in risk-taking behaviours, such as running away from the home. The improvement in young people reducing their risk-taking behaviour is confirmed by the local police. When missing episodes occur, staff are proactive in locating young people. For example, on one recent occasion, staff drove a long distance to negotiate directly with a young person and they secured their successful return to the home. In addition, staff waited for prolonged periods of time outside known addresses of the young person‘s friends and relatives. Independent return to care interviews occur regularly and offer an important source of support for young people at a key moment of vulnerability. Staffing resources and activity provision are adjusted to ensure that young people are engaged prior to important events, such as court hearings. This helps to lower the risk of young people running away from the home. Young people are helped to understand how to manage their own emotions, both positive and negative. Young people trust staff and learn to accept hugs and embraces from them. Good levels of staff support emphasise the importance of coping mechanisms, such as going for a walk in the park when anger levels are raised. An increased ability to manage behaviours and self-regulate results in raised resilience for young people and a reduction in violent incidents. Strong and effective challenge is given to placing authorities. Staff recently questioned a request to return a young person to the placement from his parent‘s address. The young person was in care with the consent of his parent and not under a care order. Staff realised that a return to the placement without the consent of the parent was illegal and advised the placing authority accordingly. The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good The registered manager of the home was formally registered with Ofsted in February 2017. She is a committed, child-centred practitioner with a strong desire to improve outcomes for young people and the level of care in the home. The registered manager is due to go on maternity leave towards the end of September 2017. Succession planning has been poor and, at the time of this inspection, no formal successor had been identified. This limits the possibility of a formal handover and increases the risk of unsettling the home, both for staff and young people. Management monitoring systems are poor. The most recent monitoring report does not contain a plan for the development of the home or address plans to develop the skills of the workforce. This limits the development of the home. The registered manager has begun to build relationships with outside agencies. She attends a local group of care home providers, which allows the sharing of good practice and documentation to stimulate the development of the home. However, further effort is required to explore the availability of key agencies for young people within the local area Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 7 and broaden the horizons of young people. The home continues to overly rely on agency staff support. This concern was raised at the last full inspection and remains, despite the safe, successful recent recruitment of two full-time members of staff. Permanent members of staff reported previously feeling ‗unsafe‘ while working with some agency staff. One member of the agency staff currently working regularly at the home is not receiving formal supervision, thereby limiting their professional development and management awareness of any potential concerns. The behavioural management policy lacks key information for staff. There is no guidance for staff on actions to take when they consider that a room search is required. This would prevent confusion and ensure consistent, safe practice in the home. Despite an improvement in outcomes linked to improved admission procedures, there remain some shortfalls. Assessments of the potential impact of new placements on those already resident in the placement people do not include feedback from previous placements or a full assessment of the risks posed to current residents. Permanent staff reported good levels of training and management support. Staff spoke of recent courses on the risks of child sexual exploitation with enthusiasm, and demonstrated a good ability to link the contents of the training course to their care of young people. The registered manager has a good relationship with the staff team and young people. Case files are now ordered and more accessible. Files show good levels of management oversight and a drive to ensure consistency across all aspects of the management of the home. Monitoring by an independent visitor is of a good, thorough standard. The visitor supplies Ofsted with reports of their monitoring, as required. These include making suggestions about how the home may improve. Managers ensure that the home is a safe environment with all necessary risk assessments undertaken. An allocated maintenance person assists staff in maintaining the physical state of the home. Information about this inspection Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children‘s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 8 making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. 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 children‘s home: SC395716 9 Children’s home details Unique reference number: SC395716 Provision sub-type: Children‘s home Registered provider: Bettercare Keys Ltd Registered provider address: The Keys Group, Laganwood House, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5NW Responsible individual: Wendy Chambers Registered manager: Hannah Phillips Inspector Barnaby Dowell, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 10 The Office for Standards in Education, Children‘s Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2017 Inspection report children‘s home: SC395716 11