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

Unique reference number SC372621 Inspection date 31/01/2012 Inspector Denise Perry Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 27/10/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Brief description of the service

This home, run by a company, is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress.

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Progress

At the full inspection in October 2011, the home’s overall quality rating was good with two recommendations set within the inspection report. The Registered Manager has met these recommendations by obtaining young people’s updated placement plans from the Local Authority. The manager has also improved the young person’s guide to ensure that this document reflects the service being provided. This means that staff have access to current information to maintain and improve on the quality of care.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has devised a personalised welcome guide for individual young people. This child friendly document provides information on the staff team, and includes photographs of the home and garden. This aims to ease young people’s anxieties, and provide them with written and visual information before they reside in the home. Young people’s religion, ethnicity, and dietary requirements are included within this guide, as well as their interests and talents. The staff team are proactive and well informed about young people’s unique needs and personalities prior to admission. This means that young people benefit from the outset of their placement.

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Progress

There have been improvements made to the home’s monitoring and consultation systems. For example, the manager has completed a quality of care review, which monitors professional practice and outcomes for children. This review also includes feedback from staff, young people and social workers on their views on the running of the home, and the service provided. From this review, identified areas of improvement are raised, actioned and monitored. This contributes to improving the provision of young people’s quality of care and outcomes.

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Progress

Staff support young people with their independent life skills as part of their transitional plan towards semi-independence. Young people talk enthusiastically about the benefits of healthy eating and actively engage in preparing their meals. One young person said, ‘I hardly ever eat junk food now’. Staff also support young people with other aspects of independent living, such as, laundry, ironing, budgeting and general housekeeping. This is helping to aid their successful transition into young adults and preparing them for leaving care.

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Progress

Young people have made good progress in their lives. They maintain high levels of attendance at school and are achieving set targets. They have grown in confidence and developed meaningful and constructive relationships with staff. Staff help young people and their families to build on their relationships and enhance contact meetings. This supports young people to maintain positive and increased links with their family and with people who will be important to them into their adult lives.

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Progress

Young people do present with challenging and unsafe behaviours, which includes being unauthorised absent or missing from care. Staff follow local safeguarding procedures diligently and review young people’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans to reflect change. This has meant that identified risks have been minimised to keep young people safe. For example, staff place supervision restrictions on the use of telephone calls to reduce known risks to young people. This also includes installation of close circuit television to the exterior of the building and alarms to the front and back door of the home. This enables staff to monitor unknown visitors to the home which may result in young people absconding.

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Progress

Young people are thoroughly included and accepted into the home. There are good levels of consultation and access to independent visitors. For example, the home actively supports young people to voice their opinions through key working sessions and young people’s meetings. The Registered Manager is developing a young person’s forum for all looked after children to provide young people with additional opportunities to have a say about what it is like living in a children’s home.

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Progress

The existing staff team hold relevant qualifications and new staff are in the process of completing the level 3 Children and Young People’s Workforce Diploma. One staff member said, ‘I continue to love my job, my passion is working with young people in care and I feel well supported by the manager’. Interactions between the manager, staff and young people were extremely positive. Staff are motivated and committed to delivering individualised care to young people. This means that they meet young people’s unique needs well.

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