Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC372661 Inspection date 11/11/2011 Inspector Trevor Hall Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 10/03/2011 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 home is part of part of a range of children's services within a private care organisation. The home is registered to offer care and accommodation to one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe and say that they feel safe. The staff are effective because young people receive personalised, well-planned care, taking full account of their individual needs. The home strongly promotes positive outcomes for all young people. Staff are well trained and experienced to meet the diverse needs of the young people. The home works hard to ensure young people receive effective healthcare, assessment, treatment and support. All these aspects of care are captured in a placement plan that is personalised and inclusive of young people’s participation. The utmost priority is given to helping young people develop a sense of self-worth to help them face everyday challenges.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people hold their quality of care in high regard. This extends to viewing the staff as a major strength within the home. There is a good rapport between young people and staff that is trusting and sincere. Records and documentation are well maintained and contribute well to the ongoing care and support young people receive. The current care and management arrangements are good. Two areas of practice have been identified for attention in order to consolidate the satisfactory outcomes for young people. These relate to improving the recording of physical interventions by staff and ensuring that young people are afforded the opportunity to have their comments recorded following any such intervention.

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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 where any sanction, disciplinary measures or restraints are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home (NMS 3.18)  ensure that the home has a clear written policy on managing behaviour, which includes supporting positive behaviour, de-escalation of conflict, discipline, control and restraint, that all staff understand and apply at all times. (NMS 3.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are satisfactory .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive a good level of care which takes into account their age, gender, religion, culture and level of ability. The ethos and practice of the home is supportive and encourages young people to set achievable personal goals. Young people’s individual needs are identified and these are reflected in the plans and strategies in place for them. Young people are actively encouraged to make everyday choices and take control of their lives wherever possible. As a result, they make good progress which is clearly evidenced in their individual care records. Young people benefit from regular attendance at school, contact with parents or significant others and when appropriate they are encouraged to develop their independence skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from contact with family, friends and other appropriate adults. Young people feel well supported by staff who facilitate contact, as a result, young people are not left feeling isolated or cut off from their families or friends.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff guide and encourage young people in their education with good results. Personal education plans include realistic targets, which young people understand and feel they can achieve. Strong links have been forged between the home and the proprietors own education unit. Young people are rightly proud of their achievements in education and they acknowledge that staff encourage their regular attendance and offer practical support. The home offers young people a wide range of activities and encourages them to pursue their own particular interests. This gives the young people the opportunity to have new experiences and learn new skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and their health needs are positively promoted. Good health plans ensure individual needs are assessed and met. All young people are registered with community-based health services to access day-to-day health support. Specialist interventions are arranged when required. Young people are given opportunities to improve their lifestyles through diet and exercise. They are provided with information and given every encouragement and practical support to modify certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol, which results in consistent improvements to health and fitness.

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Quality of care

Young people clearly benefit from the security and structure that exists within this home. The experienced and extremely competent staff team have created a homely nurturing environment that has well defined boundaries. These boundaries are consistent and help to give young people a feeling of security without denying each young person's individuality.

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Quality of care

Staff and young people genuinely enjoy good relationships based upon mutual respect and positive regard. These relationships are used constructively, particularly to help manage behaviours, as a result there are very few conflicts and minimal use of physical interventions by staff. Staff use a range of planned strategies to support young people, using sanctions only as a last resort. The recording of physical interventions and sanctions lacks consistency, and do not always cross reference, either with incident records or house logs. Also young people are not always afforded the opportunity to have their comments recorded following any such intervention. The effects on young people, of these short comings are minimal but do potentially leave both young people and staff vulnerable.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that their views, wishes and feelings are actively sought by staff. Young people can influence certain aspects of the home’s operation, for example, through regular individual sessions with key workers, or by attending young people’s meetings. Young people and staff are relaxed in each others company, which leads to good levels of communication taking place on a daily basis. This encourages and supports young people towards making appropriate and more informed decisions about themselves and their future.

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Quality of care

Young people confirm that they know about the complaints procedure and that they are confident and comfortable with the process. Staff provide appropriate support when young people wish to raise issues with their placing authority or have access to an independent advocate.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit and thrive in a supportive and nurturing environment. Their individual needs are clearly identified in care plans and individual risk assessments. This includes identity, religious and cultural needs. Regular reviewing of the plans and strategies in place ensure young people’s needs are current and well met. Young people demonstrate good insight into how they are cared for and are familiar with the plans in place for them, this enables them to take a degree of 'ownership' and improves commitment.

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Quality of care

This home is welcoming and homely. The levels of equipment, fixtures, furnishings and décor are of a high standard. Young people have their own bedrooms. Young people are encouraged to decorate and personalise their rooms to reflect their taste and interests.

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Quality of care

Staff promote healthy lifestyles in a variety of ways. Young people actively engage in a wide range of activities and leisure pursuits, which are usually community-based. Young people benefit from healthy meals and take an active role in shopping and planning menus. They are encouraged to try unfamiliar foods, appreciate different cultures and try international cuisine. Festivals and religious events are celebrated.

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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 well cared for and feel safe living at the home. There have been no safeguarding issues affecting the home since the previous inspection. Staff understand their responsibilities and what they should do if a safeguarding situation arises. Strong links are in place with external agencies who report good levels of communication between themselves and the home. All staff have undertaken initial safeguarding training, with regular refresher courses completed by longer serving staff, this awareness and good practice contributes significantly in keeping young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has a very comprehensive set of individualised assessments of risk for each young person in residence. These cover aspects of their potential behaviour, the environment and the activities they wish to undertake. Risk assessments are used positively, to identify potential risks and to provide effective strategies to help to minimise these. These assessments are designed to enable young people to enjoy new experiences and to expand their horizons safely, rather than as a means of rejecting new ideas or stifling initiative.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has a good range of detailed policies and procedures covering aspects such as prevention of bullying, complaints, safeguarding and behaviour management. These policies are well known to staff and are effectively implemented. The regular and effective monitoring of the home's records and staff practice contribute to ensuring that young people receive safe care in line with their individual needs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has appropriate systems in place to protect young people should they go missing, including individual protocols. Staff are very open with young people about the procedures they need to follow if this occurs and young people benefit from having this awareness. There were no incidents of current young people going missing. Where this has previously been an issue, commendable efforts are made by staff to discourage young people from going missing and maintaining contact with them while they are absent.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to work positively through difficulties and they recognise sanctions as being fair. Reward systems for good behaviour are in place and young people say that rewards outweigh the number of sanctions imposed. Staff are skilled at diffusing difficult situations, with the result that the number of physical interventions are minimal and only take place as a last resort. Good monitoring of incidents ensures young people’s individual strategies are kept under review and adapted. As a result, the number of serious behaviour management incidents is minimal.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a permanent and relatively experienced staff team. Appropriate recruitment policies, procedures and practice ensure all new staff are suitably cleared prior to taking up their posts. This ensures only suitably checked people have contact with young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected with a range of risk assessments which are regularly updated and revised. Young people participate in regular fire drills and can safely exit the home if needed. Safety checks to maintain a safe environment are regularly undertaken. Individual risk assessments, coupled with coping strategies, promote a safe environment for all young people. Individual strategies are updated in light of reviews of young people’s risks and progress. Young people confirm that they feel that the home is a safe place to live.

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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, their families and placing authorities receive good information about the services offered by the home, through a clear Statement of Purpose and young person's guide. The home's Statement of Purpose includes all information required by regulation and accurately reflects the practice witnessed in the home and the home's conditions of registration.

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Leadership and management

The home's manager although relatively new in post is very experienced in childcare and has previous experience of being a Registered Manager elsewhere. An application for his registration is currently being processed. He has good communication skills, is child focused and has a clear vision on how the home should develop and progress. No actions or recommendations were made following the home's last inspection. The staff team work well together, are enthusiastic and supportive of the ethos, aims and working practices developed by the home. They understand their role and responsibilities and work with the support of manager to address young people’s needs.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive regular, professional supervision and appraisal which helps keep the care provided consistent and assists staff to be clear about their individual roles and responsibilities. Staff training and development is recognised as important and staff receive a comprehensive range of training to enable them to meet the diverse needs of the young people. The majority of the staff team are very experienced care workers that are well qualified and highly motivated; this enables young people to enjoy the benefits of living in an effectively managed home. Professional staff development is reviewed regularly and a comprehensive induction procedure is followed when introducing new staff into the home. Staffing levels are based on the assessed needs of the young people and are flexible to ensure that levels can be increased if necessary.

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Leadership and management

The manager has established good internal quality assurance monitoring systems. It is clear that the manager checks all reporting systems regularly and comments if any record fails to meet either the home's policies and procedures or national regulations. All such issues are clearly dealt with, either through staff supervision, or by additional staff training. Regular internal monitoring reports are produced which help the home to develop its practice and ensure that young people are receiving the care and support they need.

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Leadership and management

Monthly Regulation 33 visits to the home are carried out by a representative of the company. These visits generate reports that are shared with Ofsted. These reports are comprehensive and give an accurate description of the functioning of the service and complement the internal monitoring systems to ensure that young people receive the care they need.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is satisfactory .

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