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

Unique reference number SC372613 Inspection date 06/12/2011 Inspector Louise Redfern Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 04/03/2011 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 is a privately owned children's home that provides care for up-to-two young people, of either gender, aged between 10 and 17 years. The home provides care for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides an outstanding level of care for young people. Young people live in a safe, nurturing and homely environment. The Registered Manager and staff team deliver effective care, to enable young people to exceed their own expectations and achieve educationally. Young people are individually supported to engage in purposeful activities and are supported to develop their independence skills.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager ensures staff receive high quality supervision and training in order to support young people in their individual care. Staff and young people have strong relationships, which support the young people to develop.

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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 risk assessments of the whole children's home environment are carried out, to identify any potential sources of harm to the children are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed (NMS 10.8)  ensure the manager regularly monitors, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home, with regards to sanction records. (NMS 21.2).

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making excellent progress in their educational attainment, they have excellent attendance at school. Young people are supported to achieve in education through a personalised tailored package. Young people benefit from comprehensive placement plans; these are linked to a good reward system which celebrates their individual achievements. Young people engage in a variety of activities and are given the opportunity to explore new activities with the support of the staff team. These include attending and being involved in facilitating youth clubs. These clubs are carefully selected by staff to ensure young people will benefit and be afforded the opportunities to make appropriate peer relationships. Activities are well planned by young people and staff and are based on the individual choices of the young people. The activities develop social skills and social interaction of the young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy healthy lifestyles. Young people are registered and fully supported to attend all health appointments. Staff are imaginative and persistent in improving the health of young people. For example, staff encourage and support young people in oral hygiene by brushing their own teeth along side young people brushing theirs. Staff ensure young people have full access to health promotion information and health professionals. Young people engage in regular therapy sessions, they report therapy 'is working on how to keep my temper on the right level and not to explode, its working well for me'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Through well structured young people's meetings and individual sessions, young people make well-informed choices about their health. They discuss a wide-range of health and social issues, including sexuality, puberty, self care, the dangers of drugs and alcohol. These discussions are supported by health promotion information in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from staff effectively supporting them to enhance their life skills. Cooking, laundry, regular household chores and food shopping are all activities that young people undertake in order to build independence skills. These are carefully managed for individual young people taking into account their level of understanding and abilities; this enables them to feel supported in learning new skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making excellent progress in developing their social and practical skills and by doing so their self-esteem is being developed. Young people are enabled to develop their emotional resilience through trusting relationships with the staff team and engaging in new experiences. Young people are nurtured in the home, feel valued and are encouraged to make informed choices about themselves and their future.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

A competent and effective team of staff care for the young people. The staff team are warm and caring towards the young people. The staff team implement clear structure and firm boundaries to encourage young people to achieve to their potential. As a result young people build positive and meaningful relationships. Young people's individuality is fully supported in the home by the staff team. For example, other young people and the staff team have been encouraged to learn basic Welsh words, to communicate to a Welsh speaking young person in the home. The Registered Manager clearly considers the impact of new young people moving into the placement. This ensures young people established in the placement are not disrupted. Young people are admitted in a planned and thorough manner, ensuring expectations of the home are clearly explained to young people. This enables young people to feel settled in their new placement.

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Quality of care

The staff team encourage open discussion with young people around a variety of topics. For example sexuality and appropriate touching have been discussed in young people's meetings. This ensures young people are given the opportunity to safely explore these issues.

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Quality of care

Young people attend school on a daily basis, they achieve 100 percent attendance. Young people are fully supported in their education by the staff team. They have made excellent progress in their education and this is celebrated both at school and within the home by the staff team. Young people report that 'school has helped me.'

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Quality of care

Young people are successfully cared for in line with their excellent individual crisis behaviour management plans. In consultation with young people the plans are regularly reviewed and updated. This ensures that young people's changing needs are being addressed. Young people benefit from the home working jointly with therapists in order to support young people with individual areas of behaviour.

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Quality of care

The home is a detached property which has ample space for the young people to live and play. The home is furnished and maintained to a good standard. Young people have their own bedrooms, which are decorated to their individual tastes and have locks on doors, to which they have a key.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe and feel safe. They feel protected and are protected. The home has extensive policies, procedures and training in place around safeguarding. The home’s commitment and high expectation of practice, promotes safeguarding and safe care ensuring young people feel they are safe and are kept safe. Young people say 'staff keep me safe, tell me what I can and can't do.' The manager and staff team comprehensively address issues of bullying in the home, ensuring that young people feel safe to challenge bullying.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people thrive and benefit from positive and firm boundaries. As a result there are few incidents of young people being physically restrained. Young people benefit from the use of positive consequences, which include verbal praise or rewards. There are minor shortfalls in the monitoring of imposed sanctions by the Registered Manager, with regards to timescales. However, there is currently little impact on young people. Young people benefit from a highly trained, experienced and committed staff team that embraces the diverse needs of the young people. The staff team work in partnership with therapists and education professionals to develop excellent individual crisis behaviour management plans. This ensures the young people receive the appropriate individual support whilst in the home, and wider community. Young people are supported to take reasonable risks within the parameters of their individual risk assessments to significantly develop their emotional and social skills in

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Safeguarding children and young people

the home, at school and in the wider community.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is physically safe and appropriately secure to take into account the needs and characteristics of the young people cared for. Staff pay excellent attention to health and safety management. Staff use comprehensive risk assessments around the home and in the local community. Young people have regular opportunities to participate in fire evacuation drills during the day and night. There are shortfalls in written environmental risk assessments. However, the Registered Manager is taking steps to address this.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has effective and efficient systems in place to manage incidents. Young people have the opportunity to discuss incidents in detail and reflect on their behaviour. The home has good multi-agency links with the local police officers. Young people rarely go missing, if they do staff comprehensively search for young people and actively encourage young people to return to the home. Staff are aware of procedures in place for reporting individual young people as missing and positively respond to them on their return.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and staff team deliver a good level of care for the young people. They benefit from the manager and staff being consistent, motivated and committed. Young people develop relationships with both the manager and staff team, which are based on trust and professionalism. These relationships ensure young people are supported in their care and are effectively challenged around inappropriate behaviours.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager ensures that the staffing levels are sufficient in the home and adapts the rota in order to meet the individual needs of the young people. The four recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. The Registered Manger consistently monitors any incidents of physical intervention and a clear record for visitors is in place and is used by staff.

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Leadership and management

Staff consistently receive good quality supervision with the Registered Manager. These sessions drive forward the development of individuals and review the quality of care in place for the young people. All staff either have, or are working towards, a professional qualification at level 3 in working with children and young people. Young people benefit from a good balance of male and female staff, who are able to meet their individual cultural and religious needs. For example, a young person benefits from speaking their first language, Welsh, with an individual team member.

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Leadership and management

The home demonstrates good quality record keeping. Records contribute to an understanding of young people's lives and are up to date and stored securely. Young people routinely sign documents such as individual crisis behaviour management plans and key working sessions. This encourages and enables young people to be part of their care planning and setting goals. The Registered Manager notifies all significant events relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home. The Registered Manager ensures appropriate action is taken following the incident.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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