Children's Home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Unique reference number SC366107 Inspection date 22/05/2012 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 01/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is operated by a private company that has several similar homes in this area. Care and accommodation is provided for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and may also have learning disabilities. The company has its own school for children not attending mainstream education and also has its own therapy team.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good or excellent progress in all aspects of their welfare. This is achieved through high-quality care, which focuses on their individual needs. Additional support is also available from therapists and the school. Young people are taught clear boundaries and their relationships with staff mean these are usually respected. This means they keep themselves safe.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff are led well and the managerial arrangements are strong. This means, for example, that the manager is able to secure on-going improvements. On the other hand, there are delays in improving the service in the way recommended in the previous report. There are also delays in proceeding with some aspects of independence training. The organisation is also not sufficiently clear in staff training and in the Statement of Purpose about the registration of the home for young people with learning disabilities. However, such issues have minimal impact on the good standard of care received by young people, which is shown in the progress they make.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the Statement of Purpose includes the following particulars: whether it is intended to accommodate children who are disabled, have special needs or any other special characteristics (Regulation 4 (1), Schedule 1 (8)(b)) 25/06/2012

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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 young people preparing to leave care should be facilitated through risk assessment to self-administer medication as soon as appropriate.(NMS 6.14)  ensure that where specific measures are used to monitor children, including electronic devices, there is a written policy that sets out how they should be used, how they promote the welfare of children, how children will be informed of their use, how legitimate privacy of children will be protected and how children will be protected from potential abuse of such measures (NMS 10.5)  ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually. (NMS 19.6)  ensure that induction training for staff includes training in relation to caring for children with a learning disability. (NMS 18.1)  ensure that the home provides a well maintained environment, particularly with regard to malodour in a bathroom (NMS 10.2)

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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 feel positive about themselves and their home. They have learnt to trust staff and they make the most of the extensive opportunities available to them. Staff set challenging standards that raise young people's aspirations and engage them effectively in the home's activities. Young people are clear about their circumstances and how they can influence their own futures, for example through education and behaving constructively. As a result, their risk taking behaviours have diminished substantially.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Training for independence is a particular highlight. Every young person has an individual programme and facilities are provided to make them as realistic as possible. They have their own cold and dry food storage areas, for example, and cook independently. They are encouraged to be aspirational and take food safety qualifications and to test cold storage temperatures. One young person said, 'They always encourage us to do our best.’ Young people stick to their grocery budgets, which reflect the level of welfare benefits they are likely to receive, but also eat healthily. The management of free time and family contact is also carefully considered and recorded. Young people are successfully supported to take reasonable risks, such as travelling to contact on public transport, so they learn to be independent safely. A minor exception is with regard to medication. Progress in arranging the self-administration of medication is insufficient given the abilities of

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Outcomes for children and young people

young people. In other regards, young people's health is particularly well managed. As a result, they have a full understanding of health risks and manage their lifestyles appropriately.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Significant progress is being made in young people's education. Staff quickly engage even extremely reluctant young people in undertaking education regularly; young people succeed in taking the same examinations as their peers. This has significant benefits for their self-confidence and prospects. Young people benefit from staff being fully engaged with schools both in person and electronically. Homework is supported on a daily basis and young people consider themselves to be full participants in their school communities.

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Quality of care

Young people are particularly well cared for and several areas of care are outstanding. The presentation of the property is exceptional, with highly imaginative but contemporary use of colour, plants and other furnishings. Young people were fully involved in planning, making selections and undertaking decoration. The result is a very high domestic standard throughout with minimal institutional features. Young people are proud of their home and are learning to respect it. During the process of refurbishing, they have learnt budgeting and other skills that will be useful in the future. They are also involved in keeping the home clean and tidy as part of their semi-independence programmes. High standards of health and safety are maintained. This is largely successful although malodour is evident in one bathroom, which demonstrates a slight and unrepresentative lack of monitoring by staff.

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Quality of care

The views of young people are constantly being sought and acted upon in all areas of their care. This extends from their bedrooms, to their daily activities, and includes their choice of key workers. Young people's self-confidence is enhanced by a range of formal and informal opportunities to express their views. Staff also ensure that the views of other important people, such as relatives, are routinely sought. This means that young people maintain important links and extends the consistency of their care beyond the home. Any shortfall in the contribution of professionals such as social workers is challenged.

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Quality of care

Admissions are carefully planned so they are as appropriate as possible for all concerned. Individual young people's risks and difficulties are assessed, recorded clearly and reviewed. This process is evident in all the young people's records, most of which they sign routinely. Special consideration is given to young people's cultural and other circumstances. This is kept under review with them as their views and wishes develop. One member of staff said, 'Our practice is all about equality: supporting individual identities – listening.’ Work is on-going to increase team members' familiarity with all aspects of social diversity. New young people are introduced to the home's procedures in a systematic way, which means they settle as quickly as possible. Effective communication and good working relationships are established, which are appreciated by both staff and young people.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy a range of sporting and leisure activities, depending on their school and personal commitments, and are encouraged to keep fit and try new experiences. Last year there were several trips to Scotland, which they enjoyed and which extended their horizons. They are as engaged in their own local communities as possible. When asked for his views about his care, one young person said, 'Excellent, excellent, excellent!'

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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

Recruitment practices ensure that high-calibre candidates are employed who implement company policies to a high standard. Particularly thorough behaviour management training and frequent refresher training is based very clearly on a theoretical model that facilitates positive behaviour. This shows in the behaviour plans that each young person is involved in devising and reviewing. Staff routinely reflect this model in their interactions with young people, which leads to young people feeling safe in their care. Staff and management are acutely aware of the potential impact of young people's backgrounds on the way they are treated outside the home and advocate vigorously on their behalf.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a very clear focus on improving their behaviour. This is achieved through consistent messages from staff, involvement of young people in decision making and individualised reward schemes. As a result, the overall outcomes for young people are exceptional. Risk-taking behaviours, such as bullying and going missing, are nil; young people take much more responsibility for their actions than they did on admission. This is reflected in the low number of incidents, their educational success, and the high standard of presentation of their home. Similarly, young people's self-esteem is high because they feel valued and are given appropriate levels of responsibility. They know that all their concerns are addressed promptly and with their best interests in mind. One member of staff said, 'We listen and act on their views.’

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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

Staff feel the home is part of a 'very well-organised company'. Leadership is clear and there is good support for staff. As a result, staff feel able to give their best to young people and are clear about the impact they have made. There is strong supervisory support for team members individually and at team meetings, although there is some slippage in annual appraisals. The last inspection made one recommendation about alarms on the first floor but this has not yet been fully addressed. The privacy of young people requires that internal surveillance, such as alarms, is only used if it is justifiable. Current practice is for the alarm to remain on at night and therefore young people's privacy is compromised somewhat. On the other hand, the manager is applying a clear plan of improvements to the home, which are involving young people comprehensively. The organisation is careful to integrate new professional developments throughout the three parts of the service

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Leadership and management

(care, education and therapy), so they work as well as possible for young people.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from excellent attention to staff continuity. This facilitates high levels of consistent and effective care for every young person, for example with regard to their behaviour management strategies. Effective management is also demonstrated by avoiding the use of agency staff and adjusting the team to ensure there are no personality conflicts between staff and young people. Young people appreciate this attention to their personal circumstances and develop more quickly as a result. The team includes males and females of various ages. They provide exemplary role models to young people and ensure that any negative preconceived ideas about gender, race and religion, for example, are promptly discussed. This has improved young people's involvement in undertaking domestic chores, for example, and allowed them to pursue interests they would otherwise have avoided.

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Leadership and management

Staff are trained to a high standard in most regards. One member of staff thought the training was the best he had experienced. Although the proportion of qualified staff is modest at 50%, all new staff are undertaking suitable training and the competence of all staff is good. In particular, they are able to establish strong working relationships with young people. This means that young people trust them and feel able to discuss difficulties. However, the induction training programme does not adequately prepare new staff to meet the needs of children who may have a learning disability. Such provision is one of the aims of the home. Similarly, the Statement of Purpose does not provide this information, which would be an important consideration for any placing authorities. This shortfall does not affect current young people; it has a potential impact on future residents only.

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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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