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

Unique reference number SC372621 Inspection date 09/05/2013 Inspector Trevor Hall Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 30/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

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

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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

This is a supportive home where young people make good progress in all aspects of their welfare and development. This is due to a high standard of consistent care from a well- trained staff team who have an in depth knowledge of the young people they care for and have high expectations for them. Care planning is highly personalised ensuring that young people thrive. Young people benefit from an effective, fair and consistent behaviour management policy.

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Overall effectiveness

The safeguarding of young people is very good and this includes a reduction in behaviours that may place them at risk. This is supported by good health and safety systems. Young people know what is expected of them and feel settled because of this. There is strong leadership which results in young people being cared for by a motivated and professional staff team. There are effective arrangements for monitoring service delivery and this contributes to the high quality care that young people receive. Good records are maintained to support the work undertaken at the home.

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Overall effectiveness

One recommendation has been made following this inspection. This regards the need to ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment as some communal areas of the home are now in need of some redecoration.

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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 the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated, this refers to refurbishing/redecorating the communal areas of the home, to improve the 'homely' environment and to reduce the 'institutional' feel of the home. (NMS 10.3).

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress, when viewed from their individual starting point at admission. They develop self-confidence, and a clear knowledge of their background, culture and ethnicity. The home promotes a positive ethos that fully embraces diversity and difference; as a result, young people learn to appreciate the significance of differing values and cultures and to have respect for other people. This ethos also promotes positive behaviours, assists young people to understand the consequences of their actions, and encourages alternative and more acceptable responses.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people lead a healthy lifestyle and are enabled wherever possible to take responsibility for their own health. They are encouraged to take part in a wide range of physical activities, which not only promote fitness but also promote social development. Individual needs are included in placement plans that are updated when health needs have been met, or when new issues are identified. This helps the staff team monitor young people’s emotional and physical well-being and ensures continuing good health and development. Healthy, balanced and varied menus teach young people the importance of a good balanced diet. Menus are developed with the young people at house meetings and reflect the young people’s likes and dislikes and encourages them to explore food from other cultures.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's attendance and educational attainment continue to improve, this has done much to improve their self-image and build up their emotional resilience. Staff maximise every opportunity to help young people engage in education. This supportive approach enables young people to build their knowledge and skills. It also helps them to develop the values and skills they need to help them stay fully engaged in their education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The service works in partnership with families and significant others to ensure young people can maintain helpful and close relationships with important people in their lives. Particular attention is given to planning and organising family contact and staff listen to young people and family members in order to achieve arrangements that are appropriate and safe.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The staff team are committed to providing young people with individualised support, focused on their personal development and individual circumstances. Staff prioritise the work they do with young people in terms of life skills and future plans. Young people benefit from a pragmatic approach, which fully involves them in day-to-day routines that help them learn about personal responsibility and growing independence.

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Quality of care

Staff have high expectations and aspirations for young people and this results in young people knowing that they are valued and cared for. Young people placed at the home receive a good standard of consistent care. Care planning is highly individualised and child-focused and is frequently reviewed and updated. Staff encourage and enable young people to express their views and to be involved in their care planning.

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Quality of care

The home's key work system plays an important role in the development of the young people. Regular sessions with key workers not only look at recent events, but also on the events that brought them into care and staff help young people working through their care history. Work is also undertaken on young people's cultural identity and on building their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Quality of care

The home has a variety of systems for consulting with young people on their individual care and the day-to-day running of the home. These include individual key work sessions and house meetings. Young people develop confidence and a sense of ownership because they are encouraged to have an influence in the running of the home. Records of these meeting provide clear evidence of the young people's views being listened too, valued and acted upon. Where it has not been possible to act on an idea or request a full explanation is given to the young people.

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Quality of care

The positive relationships that young people share with staff help to ensure that young people feel confident to speak up about things that are important to them. All young people accommodated were clear on how to make a complaint and felt this would be dealt with quickly and fairly. Records on complaints are detailed and comprehensive.

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Quality of care

The health care needs of young people are well met within the home. All young people attend the required medical appointments and health checks. In addition the staff are proactive at carrying out work with the young people on health issues such as drugs, sexual health, contraception, alcohol, and good mental health. This is supported by a robust system for the safe handling, administration, storage, disposal and recording of medication.

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Quality of care

The staff team have high expectations for the young people they care for and place great importance on education. Each young person has an individual education plan as part of their care plan, which is regularly updated and is known by all staff. Young people regularly attend school and their attainment levels are good, when compared with their individual starting points. Good communications with the school ensures that the young people receive the support they need, to make progress and achieve their potential.

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Quality of care

The staff provide the young people with a very wide range of activities both in the home and in the local community. Young people attend local clubs and groups including rugby and football. The activities are not only enjoyable but purposeful and have enabled the young people to develop personal confidence and to socialise with a wider group of young people.

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Quality of care

Communication between staff and young people is very good, which results in staff being able to respond effectively; this ensures that young people’s needs and wishes are well known. Young people have regular meetings with their key worker to discuss progress and any issues of concern. They confirm that they are encouraged and supported to make decisions about their lives in line with their individual needs. As a result, they feel valued, take ownership of their placement and actively influence the running of the home. Young people present well, are appropriate dressed and have sufficient belongings to meet their needs. They receive pocket money and appropriate allowances to help purchase clothing and toiletries of their choice.

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Quality of care

The home is adequately maintained and is furnished appropriately to meet the needs of the young people. Communal areas, although clean and functional, show some signs of minor superficial damage. The general decorative appearance of the home is best described as 'tired' and in some areas is a little institutional and requires some redecoration and minor refurbishment. Young people are encouraged to personalise their rooms. The home, although in a rural setting, enjoys good links to local facilities and is within easy reach of good transport links, however, the home also has a vehicle that means that young people have convenient transport for activities, shopping and contact visits with family.

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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 said they felt safe and well looked after at the home. They could identify a large number of people they would fell happy talking too if they had any problems or worries. Young people are protected from harm or abuse by robust policies and procedure which are adhered to in practice. Also the staff team received regular training in safeguarding to ensure they are kept up to date with current practice and know what to do to protect young people from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home’s individual care plans are supported by very good up-to-date behaviour management plans. These clearly identify young people individual vulnerabilities, behavioural triggers and provide staff with strategies to deal with identified behaviours. Staff have a very good understanding of the individual young people’s needs and vulnerabilities. They take a positive approach to managing behaviour by celebrating young people’s achievements and by implementing individual reward schemes.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff, guided by other relevant professionals, work hard to enable young people to moderate and improve their behaviour. There is an emphasis on recognising and rewarding positive behaviours, rather than purely punishing those behaviours identified as being unacceptable. This enables young people to develop more socially acceptable behaviour and better prepares them to interact positively with the wider community. Young people confirm that the use of sanctions is minimal, fair and consistent. Young people understand that the boundaries in place are there to ensure their safety. They are invited to sign all records relating to the use of sanctions, which helps them develop understanding and responsibility.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people and staff both confirm that physical intervention by staff is a measure of last resort, which is only used to keep everyone safe. Records clearly show that the number of incidents requiring physical intervention reduces as young people settle into their placements and develop meaningful relationships with the staff team. Only four interventions have taken place since the last inspection, all were necessary, appropriately applied and well recorded. The resolutions of most incidents is through the skilful application of staff support and the sensitive use of conflict resolution techniques. The home’s manager monitors each intervention, ensuring that the intervention is necessary, applied correctly and comprehensively recorded. The manager also ensures that young people are aware of their right to complain, receive any medical attention if required or requested and that social workers and, where

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Safeguarding children and young people

appropriate, parents are fully informed. Bullying is not currently seen as an issue at the home by the staff or the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff manage unauthorised absence extremely well. Established protocols and positive relationships with the local police complement practice. Tested responses are in place should young people go absent from the home or from an off-site excursion. No episodes of young people being missing from care have occurred since the home’s last inspection. Staff remain aware of the potential reasons why young people may go missing, however, and use this insight to assist young people in managing their feelings and frustrations in a more productive manner, which deters young people from running off and putting themselves at risk.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are robust policies and procedures for staff recruitment which go some way to promoting young people's safety and welfare. All new staff undergo an induction which covers safeguarding and requires the staff member to read the home's child protection policy. As a result, staff understand and follow safe working practices which protect young people. There is a wide range of measures for ensuring that young people live in a home that is physically safe and secure. This includes fire safety checks, fire drills and regular checks on appliances within the home.

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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 home's Registered Manager is suitably qualified and experienced and provides good leadership and support to the staff group. This means they provide a good quality care tailored to address the individual needs of the young people living in the home. The staff team are very positive about the manager and the support they receive. The home has a clear accessible and comprehensive Statement of Purpose and young person’s guide giving young people, their families and placing authorities clear information about the services offered by the home.

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Leadership and management

The home has a very good system for dealing effectively with young people’s complaints. Young people confirmed their awareness of the home’s complaints system and stated they would use it with confidence.

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Leadership and management

There is frequent and effective monitoring of quality in the home which helps to identify problems and raise standards. This includes daily checks around the building and Regulation 33 and 34 inspections. The information gained from these checks is used to make improvements to the service. Development plans are in place which help to ensure that there is a clear focus on improvement.

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Leadership and management

The manager and the staff have in depth knowledge of the young people in their care and are committed to providing the best service possible for them. The staff team is of an appropriate size to be able to meet the needs of the young people placed. Consistent and regular staff supervision, coupled with team meetings, provide staff with excellent opportunities to discuss their role, their professional development and the impact that working with children with complex needs has upon them. All staff receive annual performance appraisal.

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Leadership and management

Staff are provided with a quality induction and further training, support and resources and therefore understand the developmental needs of young people. The comprehensive training covers all mandatory areas such as safeguarding, behaviour management and first aid, as well as specific training indicated by the needs of individual young people.

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Leadership and management

Records are clear, up to date and stored securely, and would contribute significantly to the young people’s understanding of their life in care, if they choose to access these documents. The registered person notifies the appropriate authorities about all significant events relating to the protection of young people accommodated in the home.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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