Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Unique reference number SC372621 Inspection date 27/10/2011 Inspector Julian Parker Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 08/03/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Brief description of the service

This private children's home is semi rurally located. It provides medium to long term care for up to two children with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a caring and supportive environment where young people are effectively enabled to make considerable and meaningful progress across all areas of their life. Individualised, sensitive care planning addresses specific care needs, enabling young people to improve their self-confidence, emotional resilience and social skills.

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Overall effectiveness

Good, effective and responsive safeguarding practice ensures that young people are protected from potential harm. Through engaging positively with their carers young people experience nurturing and meaningful relationships. By being actively listened to young people develop their sense of worth and ownership of their living environment.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s views are influential in shaping the running of the home. They are encouraged to be fully involved in the decisions that directly affect their lives and practically influence the homes daily functions. They significantly inform all aspects of care being provided. Plans confirming the care provided for young people however need to be produced and returned by placing authorities in a timely manner to maintain the placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Good management arrangements supporting a competent and well-trained staff team ensure that young people are well cared for. Staff have the right mix of skills and experience combined with a detailed knowledge of the young people they care for that enables informed guidance to be delivered.

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Overall effectiveness

Effective management delivers good quality and meaningful childcare practice, promoting young people’s access to full-time education and their health related needs. The home demonstrates its capacity for continuous improvement. Comprehensive and informative monitoring systems confirm the good quality of care and the homes determined focus on generating positive outcomes.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the young person's guide accurately reflect the service being provided by the children’s home (NMS 13.3)  ensure that following statutory reviews copies of revised placement plans are obtained from the placing authority. (NMS 25.5)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making very good progress developing emotional resilience and understanding their background. This has been enabled by effective key working sessions which clearly address and support young people’s feelings and self perception. This empathy enables young people to increasingly manage their own behaviour and improve social acceptance.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people present a good understanding of the importance of cleanliness and healthy eating. They actively participate in keeping their rooms and the living environment clean displaying some pride in the appearance of their home. This helps promote young people’s independence skills, confidence and self esteem. Staff are instrumental in teaching young people about healthy eating and introducing new experiences such as trying different foods from around the world. This has meant that young people have significantly developed their interest and understanding of the importance of diet nutrition and geography.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s views and wishes are fundamental influences in the daily life of the home. They are fully involved in the running of the home for example through key working sessions and children’s meetings which help set the homes weekly timetable. Young people receive quality guidance and support from staff which ensures that they are supported to make appropriate choices, for example, about their behaviour, relationships and diet. Living in an atmosphere of openness and warmth, young people can feel sufficiently confident to speak up and make their contribution.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The staff team actively promote contact arrangements between young people and their families. They facilitate and supervise direct contact which ensures young people benefit from safe and appropriate contact with their family and people who are important to them. Staff recognise the importance of maintaining strong family links and openly explain why some arrangements need to be supervised. This means young people are supported and included in decisions that affect them and they are kept protected and safe. Young people have achieved very good attendance at the provider’s school. Enormous progress has been made promoting individual experiences and skills in building relationships with peers. The home pursues clear objectives for continuing educational and social achievement.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are proud of their achievements and are building confidence and self- esteem which will support their future learning and preparation for eventual independence.

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Quality of care

Management and staff demonstrate high levels of commitment to sustain relationships that ensure young people feel valued and included. Young people have developed meaningful relationships with supportive staff members who they can trust and respect. They are also helped to experience new and positive relationships which prepares them to manage change effectively. For example, young people can spend leisure time on a one to one basis with staff members who are not their regular key worker. This process helps young people to develop their capacity to trust reliable adults who provide care and supervise them.

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Quality of care

Staff listen and act on young people’s views, taking appropriate measures to address any concerns young people may have. The home actively supports young people to express and voice their opinions to ensure they know how to make a complaint. Young people have direct access to independent advice through independent advocacy services. A single complaint made by a young person since the last inspection has been addressed seriously and thoroughly, with the young person’s inclusion in the process. Young people’s views and opinions are fully expressed through reviews, key working sessions and young people’s meetings. This means that young people are valued and made aware that their opinions and views matter and are always taken seriously

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Quality of care

A pre-admission risk assessment and management plan for individual young people includes history of known risky behaviour and an interim action plan to reduce these concerns. This includes the potential use of positive sanctions to structure and modify young people’s unacceptable behaviour. The use of an approved physical intervention is used only in extreme and warranting circumstances to ensure young people are kept safe. Comprehensive records confirm that this process is transparent and effectively monitored to inform practice improvement.

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Quality of care

The staff team take a proactive approach to managing and supporting young people’s behaviour. Through effective and robust planning staff effectively develop individual behaviour management strategies that have an emphasis on the use of positive rewards to influence behaviour. Young people are involved in this planning and are able to work towards achievable key targets based on acceptable behaviour. This means young people are actively involved in developing tailored strategies for themselves that reinforces improved self esteem and self control. Young people are being cared for in line with their placement plan which identifies individual needs. Staff are fully aware of the goals and objectives of the placement working closely with other professionals to effectively meet these needs. Staff regularly produce comprehensive records that accurately reflect each young person’s changing circumstances. In some cases young people’s care plans have not been

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Quality of care

received from placing authorities following reviews meaning that their case files are not up to date. The impact of this omission is minimal because the home diligently makes its own records during statutory reviews to ensure young people are cared for in accordance with the latest plan. The home should however ensure that the placing authority provides copies of the updated plan for the child within national minimum standard prescribed timescales.

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Quality of care

Young people’s interests and talents are celebrated and promoted by staff. Young people are actively encouraged to participate in meaningful activities such as; cooking, baking and leisure activities. One young person has a pet and takes responsibility to care for and feed the animal. This means that young people are developing their empathy and responsibility which encourages their personal development and success.

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Quality of care

The home is located in a rural environment, which meets many of the safeguarding needs of the resident young people. The house is well maintained. It is kept very clean and sets homely standards. Young people’s rooms are personalised and decorated and furnished in a way that is comfortable for them, so that they feel valued and safe. Young people are confident in welcoming and talking with visitors appropriately. They take pride in their home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported by living in a structurally safe environment where they are effectively protected from harm and inappropriate influences. The staff teams high level of concern and commitment to safeguarding helps young people to experience emotional security and to feel safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's wellbeing is prioritised because staff are very well trained in safeguarding. Staff are able to effectively identify and respond to the indicators of abuse and self harm. They know what procedures to follow to ensure that young people are effectively protected. Young people receive age appropriate advice about personal safety, including the potential risks posed by their peers or unknown adults and the possible consequences of their own risk taking behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Anti-bullying measures are in place effectively monitoring behaviour within the home and in communal settings such as school. Young people are encouraged to talk to their carers whenever they have worries or concerns. These are acted upon promptly. Through the use of effective communication and information sharing care and safeguarding plans practically reduce the potential risks to young people by adjusting the environment, staffing levels and routines to effectively respond to any developing concerns. A whistle blowing policy is in place and known about should staff have any concerns about professional colleagues or safeguarding practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The particular vulnerabilities of young people are being addressed by this placement. Its semi rural location makes it very suitable for young people who would be at serious risk if looked after in a larger setting or more community based provision. The risks young people may experience in the wider community, including exploitation, self harm and criminality are well recorded and carefully managed. Clear, regularly reviewed risk assessments and an explicit placement plan explains how young people are being protected from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff can demonstrate through their supervision of young people that they sensitively balance safeguarding needs against individual rights and the age related requirement that safely facilitates the considered risks that form part of normal adolescent development. In this way young people are enabled to enjoy similar social experiences to their peers by engaging in risk assessed and considered recreational activities individually or in groups.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The rural location of this home enables it to manage unauthorised absence assertively subject to its staffing level. Established protocols and meaningful relationships with the local police complement the homes practice. Defined responses are in place should young people go absent from the home or from an off site excursion. The stability of the placement through the sufficient use of numbers of competent adults and positive relationships between staff and young people is improving and consequently reducing the frequency of unauthorised absence. Staff are aware of the potential reasons and times when young people will attempt to go missing and use this information to help them manage young peoples issues and frustrations in an acceptable manner.

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Safeguarding children and young people

On admission young people are informed about how the home can help them and what the few house rules are. This key information is reiterated by their young persons guide about the home and organisation. Through day-to-day living young people generally confirm that they accept the norms of the placement and comply with the standards of behaviour being expected. Staff know that behaviour may fluctuate and be unpredictable but have learned how to manage this effectively. Considerable emphasis is placed on positive behaviour with young people being regularly praised and reminded of their achievement rather than shortcomings. All staff adopt jointly agreed strategies that encourages and supports young people to practice socially acceptable behaviour in all situations.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are effective responses available to staff for the management of challenging behaviour by the use of an approved physical restraint methodology. The need to use these measures is low. Effective recording enables staff and the homes management to review circumstances and success of such practice. Young people are aware of the circumstances in which such measures may be used and acknowledge these are always in exceptional circumstances and only used to ensure they are kept safe. Young people live in a physically safe environment. They are protected by an established routine of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and preventive checks. Staff carry these out regularly, including fire drills, to ensure the premises are safe and confirm that young people know what to do in case of an emergency. Any damage in the home is always repaired quickly to maintain appearance and physical security.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The recruitment and selection of people working at the home follows robust company procedures and checks to ensure young people are looked after only by safe, experienced and knowledgeable adults. The manager confirms this through her inspection of staff files to ensure that all appointed staff possess the relevant skills, competencies and qualifications to meet the needs of vulnerable young people. Appropriately rigorous systems are in place to ensure that all visitors to the home are suitably checked and supervised while on the premises. By applying these measures young people are kept safe and are being protected.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

Young people live in a home that is well managed and effectively ensures they are kept safe with their welfare being actively promoted.

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Leadership and management

The home addresses the aims of its Statement of Purpose comprehensively. Social workers, young people and their families are accurately informed about the nature of the services and support provided at the home by accessing this document. The generic young person’s guide is readable and delivers useful information about what the home provides in an age appropriate and friendly tone, however it requires amendment to appropriately relate to this specific home.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff team demonstrate very strong commitment to delivering perceptive childcare practice tailored to address the individual, often challenging needs of the young people looked after.

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Leadership and management

Young people are being enabled to make important progress, when compared against their starting point, across the many aspects of their lives, including school attendance and educational achievement, their emotional development, how they develop independence skills and learning how to keep themselves safe.

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Leadership and management

The new manager’s use of reflective practice helps to inform and improve the service being provided to ensure that positive outcomes can be delivered consistently and that these are both appropriate and responsive to the needs of young people. Emphasis is placed upon listening to the views of young people while empowering them to understand that their behaviour directly affects the extent of the choices they may make.

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Leadership and management

The ongoing external and internal monitoring of the quality of care being provided is used to inform any practical changes required to ensure young people get the most appropriate provision possible. Importance is placed upon the sustained improvement of the home, based on its previous performance. The current annual review of the quality of care is realistic in its aspirations and target setting for its current occupancy but the manager outlines greater aspirations for the home.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by a very competent, committed staff team who exhibit an above average level of skills, qualification and experience. Staff turnover is low ensuring that young people can develop trusting relationships with their carers.

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Leadership and management

The team skills and abilities complement the needs of young people living in the home. Staff are effective in dealing with the diverse needs of young people and maintaining meaningful contact with their families.

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Leadership and management

Staff meetings while principally focusing on practice with young people also include emphasis on understanding aspects of equality and diversity issues that affect looked after children such as disability, mental health related behaviour, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and sexuality related issues. This dialogue helps to inform staff practice and an understanding of children from all backgrounds. The multi cultural aspect is practically developed with young people using the medium of cooking.

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Leadership and management

Staff are well supported by their manager. They have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and the high expectations placed on them. Good levels of support and guidance being provided are evidenced by the manager and deputy manager. Staff receive one-to-one supervision regularly with annual appraisals of their practice informing their ongoing learning and development. Team meetings take place monthly involving the whole staff team to discuss the operation of the home and review the young people’s progress. This forum helps the team consider ways in which the service may be improved.

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Leadership and management

The home’s written records are securely stored and provide a comprehensive evaluation and confirmation of the young people’s needs and progress. Case records contain up-to-date information about each young person, including the relevant documents from placing authorities and ongoing in house assessment.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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