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

Unique reference number SC411142 Inspection date 09/11/2011 Inspector Julian Parker Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/01/2011 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 is a small private children's home looking after one young person, usually aged from 12 to 17 years, who may have emotional and/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 nurturing and supportive environment where young people can develop self-confidence, emotional resilience and social skills. Management and staff listen to young people‟s views carefully. This creates a caring environment where young people feel valued and are influential in the running of the home.

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Overall effectiveness

The provider and manager understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and have realistic attainable development plans in place. The manager is proactive; improving the home‟s monitoring systems and its capacity for improvement. Responsive safeguarding practice ensures young people's effective protection from any potential harm enhancing young people‟s sense of safety and security.

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Overall effectiveness

The caring and dedicated staff team engage positively with young people to promote the development of meaningful relationships. Young people‟s views are heard. Young people are encouraged to be fully involved in the decisions that directly affect their everyday care and plans for their future. Those plans confirming the placing authority's expectations from the care placement need to be provided in a timely manner.

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Overall effectiveness

Leading by example, the manager is effective in ensuring good quality childcare practice that promotes regular, supported access to full-time education and prioritises health needs for young people. The home demonstrates its capacity for continuous improvement. The monitoring systems already in place are well- documented and informative, underlining the home‟s dedication to delivering 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 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 being helped to develop their interest and understanding of healthy eating. This is being achieved though enthusiastic staff who, by being good role models are instrumental in teaching young people about healthy lifestyles. Young people are involved in the purchasing of food and where appropriate preparation of food. This helps promote young people‟s independent skills and ability. Young people‟s interests and talents are recognised and acted on. This includes young people engaging with the wider community by being involved in physical and social activities. By developing an understanding of healthy living young people make good progress.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff act swiftly and effectively in meeting young people‟s medical and health needs. Young people have immediate access to local health services, for example, general practitioners, opticians and dental treatment. This means that young people‟s general health is being well met. Young people‟s identified medical needs are well documented prior to admission and the staff ensure appropriate specialist appointments are attended. This helps young people appreciate their health and work towards meeting emotional and physical milestones.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have the opportunity to enhance their learning and social skills. They attend the provider‟s school in a relatively short period of time following their admission. This means that young people have the opportunity to achieve educationally from the placement onset. The staff group fully recognise the importance of education and support young people to make good progress by taking them to school and supporting them in class when necessary. This helps young people develop and improve educational abilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are accepted for who they are with their backgrounds and history being respected as an important aspect of their lives. This acceptance promotes an understanding of individual heritage, culture, and identity. Where appropriate the staff team actively promote contact arrangements between young people and friends who are important to them. Direct, safe contact is facilitated and supervised, which means that young people are helped to retain significant relationships in a manner that protects their own well-being and offers the emotional support needed to understand their care placement.

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Quality of care

An experienced staff team support young people to develop positive relationships inside and out of the home. This helps them feel valued and included as a member of the home and develop social skills. Young people say „staff are okay, well quite good really‟ and were seen to be having fun and interacting confidently with staff. A social worker commented that „staff are very child focused and work therapeutically to meet young people‟s needs‟. This helps young people to develop their capacity for trusting the reliable adults that provide their supervision and care. Staff consider it part of their remit to maintain direct contact with some young people who have left the home. This has provided support with their transition and promotes their ongoing sense of worth.

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Quality of care

Young people are actively involved in the running of the home with their views being sought and listened to. For example, young people are invited to express and record their views in key working sessions, home meetings and their looked after children‟s reviews. An audit trail evidences what action is being taken to support their views and requests wherever appropriate. This means that young people have opportunities to have a say in their daily care arrangements and be fully involved with developing their placement plan. Young people confirm that they have unrestricted access to information about the home, which includes how to make a complaint. Creatively developed additional information, in an accessible format enhances young people‟s ability to access welfare and rights information. This confirms that young people are valued and made aware that their opinions and views matter.

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Quality of care

Well-structured, planned placement inductions ensure that all staff are aware how to support young people in a consistent way. The staff team have created a caring environment rooted with consistent and fair boundaries that effectively support young people‟s need for stability and nurturing. This gives young people a feeling of security and enables them to improve self-control. An absence of some care plans from placing authorities prevents up to date formal plans being maintained by the home. The impact of this omission is presently minimal because the Registered Manager and placing authority have verbally agreed aims and objectives for young people in the initial phase of placement. Further, the Registered Manager reviews young people‟s progress to ensure they are cared for in accordance to their individual needs and shares this information with the placing authority. The home has made diligent attempts to acquire relevant care plans in accordance with the national

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Quality of care

Young people's needs are assessed in a personalised way, including those relating to cultural background and religion. The recent change of placement has identified that the promotion of individual related equality and diversity is an area where the home intends to sharpen practice. This will enhance and promote improved diversity related outcomes for young people in both their daily living and care planning. Young people‟s health needs are fully assessed and addressed by staff. This means that young people have appropriate access to health services, including specialist medical intervention, emotional and company provided therapeutic support. This active attention to health needs positively enhances young people‟s health and well-being.

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Quality of care

Young people have access to a range of purposeful and enjoyable activities from, for example, baking to sporting activities such as football and pool. This has worked extremely well for engaging with and meeting young people‟s individual emotional and physical needs. This means that young people are empowered to flourish in wider social aspects of their lives.

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Quality of care

The home is located in a rural environment, which meets the current age and emotional related needs of the young people in placement. The house is very well maintained, clean, and homely. Young people are able to personalise their own rooms and they are furnished in a way that is comfortable for them. This contributes to young people feeling valued and safe.

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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 say that they “feel safe” living in the home. The home's safeguarding protocols effectively contribute to the safety of children and young people. Staff and managers know and understand the protocols well and since the last inspection have practically implemented safeguarding procedures transparently. The manager is robust in reviewing and analysing information ensuring that young people know about outcomes. This confirms that the home‟s procedures in response to allegations made by young people are diligent. This practice enhances young people‟s sense of security and helps promote self-confidence.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff that are appropriately qualified and vetted care for young people. Personnel files confirm that all staff are carefully recruited with all necessary checks being carried out and properly recorded. The home's training schedule confirms that all staff receive safeguarding training as part of the home‟s mandatory training programme. Robust recruitment practice helps prevent unsuitable people having access to young people and promotes young people‟s safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The safety and well-being of young people is being promoted by the home‟s positive links and effective communication with the local police, social workers, and other agencies. Young people have access to external independent visitors and have direct information on how to contact these advocates.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Upon admission, young people are told how the home can help them and what the few house rules are. This key information is also included within the provider‟s children‟s guide. In recognition of the younger age of some children, the manager has introduced an additional child-friendly document that provides young people with precise and accurate information about the home, procedures and policies. Young people are able to access this information independently, further promoting their rights.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is rurally located, which enables it to deter unauthorised absence effectively. Established protocols and meaningful dialogue between the home and the local police have been productive in reducing the past incidence of this type of behaviour. Defined responses are in place should any young person go absent from the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The provision of support services within the organisation alongside full access to community based health and specialist services ensures that young people‟s health needs can be met thoroughly. Staff work regularly with therapists to discuss young people‟s individual therapeutic needs and how best to support them. The structure and support provided to young people helps them moderate and improve their behaviour, for example, through the minimum use of sanctions that are fair and consistent young people can understand what is and is not acceptable. The manager has devised a good monitoring system to evaluate the effectiveness of this practice. Young people are always asked to sign all records relating to the use of sanctions and physical interventions. This helps them develop understanding and responsibility for their own behaviour.

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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 restrain methodology. The requirement for the use of this form of intervention has been unnecessary for several months confirming the development of positive, trusting relationships between staff and young people. During the inspection, young people expressed no concerns about how their behaviour is being managed. Staff emphasise the importance of rewarding positive social behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a physically safe environment. The home's established routines for health and safety monitoring, risk assessments, and preventive checks ensure that they are being protected. Staff carry out these monitoring tasks regularly, practising fire drills with young people to ensure the premises are safe and confirm that all residents know what action to take in a real emergency situation. Any damage to the home or refurbishment needs are addressed promptly ensuring that young people are provided with a secure and presentable home in which 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

The provider and staff team fully meet all of the aims and objectives set in their Statement of Purpose. The young person's placing authority endorses this statement believing that young people‟s individual needs are comprehensively addressed. The Registered Manager demonstrates knowledge of new legislation and practice developments that improve the quality of the service provided. Shared knowledge with staff during team meetings and daily discussions actively contributes to improved outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager is appropriately qualified and well supported in her role. By receiving regular monthly supervisions and annual appraisals staff focus upon day-to- day practice and overall service development. Young people benefit by receiving good quality care from staff that receive management support, through targeted supervision that serves to identify personal development targets, including ongoing training needs.

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Leadership and management

The home demonstrates capacity for continuing improvement. For example, the manager has facilitated a significant improvement in the condition and décor of the home since the previous inspection. With all previous physical shortfalls being repaired and a full redecoration, to a very good standard, the quality of the environment enjoyed by young people has considerably improved.

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Leadership and management

The manager and staff promote equality and diversity. Young people‟s placement plans, case files and daily recording documents identify that staff are aware of the specific needs of young people. This ensures young people‟s individual needs are met well and they benefit from the care provided to them by their informed staff team. Child-centred planning is evident in practice. Young people are practically encouraged and helped to learn, discuss, and understand equality and diversity, appropriate to their level of understanding, for example, by discussing the inappropriateness of racism in sport. The manager and staff, however, see this as an area in which they could make further improvement, in terms of evidencing their practice in awareness and delivery. This will form part of the home‟s revised development plan and staff commitment to improve outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has good outcome focused development plans in place. Through independent monitoring arrangements, which accurately reflect the operation of the service, the manager has devised an annual quality of care report. This noteworthy practice has produced informative data that identifies trends, shortfalls and suggests what action is required to advance the service. Staff are integral to the improvement of the service and are required to read this document and add comments or raise matters that have not been covered. This collective contribution has improved the overall development of the home.

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Leadership and management

The home has a system for informing significant people of notifiable events that affect young people. There has been a significant reduction in the number and nature of recording since the last inspection confirming both a change of resident and signifying behavioural improvement with new admissions. The home is administratively accomplished and well organised. Individual case files are stored confidentially while being arranged in a manner that is familiar to the staff team. Young people know about the contents of their files and know they can request access to them. Recording content and practice is scrutinised by the manager to ensure that the context in which behaviour is seen does not adversely reflect or discriminate against young people. The manager is thorough in her editing and monitoring to ensure young people are treated fairly and with respect in all aspects of communication.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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