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

Unique reference number SC366090 Inspection date 09/01/2014 Inspector Dawn Bennett Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 15/01/2013 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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Brief description of the service

This privately owned children’s home may accommodate up to two young people, of the same gender, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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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 are making good progress in various aspects of their lives. They are actively involved in the operation of the home as well as their future plans. Staff encourage them to have positive aspirations and a strong sense of self. Young people feel a key strength of the home is the staff team and the positive relationships they share. However, records do not routinely record that the views of young people are being gathered, especially after key incidents and young people's meetings.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff deliver individualised and consistent care to young people through their daily working practice. They provide the consistency and support young people need to stabilise behaviour, establish productive routines, engage in positive activities, learn independence skills and prepare for transition to the responsibilities of adulthood. Areas in the home are well maintained and homely. However, other areas are not, and as a result the home does not reflect an overall environment that promotes young people's sense of self-worth.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people develop an excellent awareness of their personal safety and make significant progress in reducing their risk-taking behaviours. The home’s safety practices are robust. Young people talk positively about living in the home and state that they feel safe. Staff place considerable importance on supporting young people to take proportionate risks while prioritising their safety and well-being. They recognise the particular vulnerabilities of the young people they look after. When high risk incidents do occur staff work effectively in partnership with other agencies to achieve safe outcomes. There is good management commitment demonstrated by this organisation with the appointment of an Acting Registered Manager to cover the permanent Registered Manager's maternity leave. However, supervision for the acting Registered Manager has been disrupted and alternative arrangements have not been put in place to

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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 the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure suitable arrangements exist for professional supervision for the registered person of the agency. This specifically relates to the Registered Manager (NMS 19.3)  ensure children are actively encouraged to read their files, other than confidential or third party information and to correct errors and add personal statements (NMS 22.5)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are in good health. They lead healthy lifestyles, enjoying nutritious diets and physical activities. As well as identifying and responding to specific health needs, the staff team also give good advice, support and guidance on a wide range of health topics. As a result young people understand the importance of good health and are able to make informed decisions. A social worker stated: 'The young person is in good health. She is far more active. She has started dog walking for a local rescue centre. This gives her excellent opportunity to really reflect while also maintaining a healthy physical appearance.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are active and constructively occupied. The routine of the house and ethics role modelled by staff promotes opportunity and participation. All young people have good or improving attendance at education and are making good personal educational progress. Young people are involved in the local community through friends and boyfriends. All young people have different age appropriate interests, which range from playing with dolls to going bowling and shopping with friends.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people play an active role in the life of the home and their future plans. There are effective systems in place that ensure there are day-to-day as well as planned discussions. These link to a range of topics that may arise through the course of a day or are planned and linked to a young person's placement plan. Young people have appropriate access to their records, contribute to reports and attend meetings. However, not all the home's records routinely record that young people's views have been gathered and considered or that they have chosen not to comment after key events in their lives. There are also no written records of young people's meetings which take place on a regular basis in the home. This means that records do not reflect the good practice of staff or contribute to the future understanding of a young person's views.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have a good range of independence and domestic skills appropriate to their age and ability. Staff are skilled at judging their level of involvement in tasks to maximise young people's abilities whilst also ensuring each task is successfully and enjoyably completed.

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Quality of care

Staff place young people’s well-being at the centre of their practice. They implement positive and consistent strategies to support young people in managing their behaviours. This enables young people to better self-regulate their emotions and behave appropriately. Staff show concern for young people’s welfare and continually encourage them to make informed decisions about leading safe and healthy lifestyles. As a result, young people feel valued and cared for and respond positively.

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Quality of care

Staff have good knowledge and understanding of young people’s individual needs and backgrounds. They identify and address the diverse and complex needs of young people, both in daily living and placement planning. Consequently, young people make good progress in most aspects of their lives.

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Quality of care

The established procedures and practice for supporting young people when they move into or leave the home are good. These provide staff with clear guidance and practical options that ensure the most appropriate and sensitive approach can be implemented for each young person depending upon their individual circumstances. Before the young person arrives detailed information is gathered from the placing authority and from previous placements. This information is used by staff to establish clear boundaries which ensure that from the outset young people feel, and are kept, safe. These are regularly reviewed and modified through the constant review of young people's progress in relation to their placement plans.

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Quality of care

Where appropriate young people successfully re-establish, sustain and develop relationships with their birth family and with wider support networks. The staff work effectively in partnership with family members and local authorities. Staff are creative and flexible when supporting transport, organising contact visits, supervising and promoting positive relationships.

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Quality of care

Aspects of the accommodation are good, providing young people with a welcoming environment. One young person was particularly proud of their bedroom which they had helped decorate with a wallpapered feature wall. However, there are other areas of the house that are no longer bright and homely. Paint work is tired and there are no pictures or photos up on the walls. Some furniture has been broken and is waiting to be replaced. A room that was historically converted into an additional space for young people is no longer in use and is housing the broken furniture. The acting Registered Manager has ordered new furniture and a new carpet for a young person's bedroom. She is in the process of ensuring the planned refurbishment and redecoration of the home features in the home's new Development Plan with clear timescales for the completion of work.

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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’s safety is a priority in this home. Young people acknowledge the importance of feeling and being safe. Staff regularly review and update young people’s risk assessments and identified risks are addressed through appropriate preventive measures. Their effective safeguarding practice enables young people to take proportionate risks as part of their growth and development. This includes young people having unsupervised time in the community and volunteering at a local animal rescue centre.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Where young people exhibit high risk behaviours they are quickly addressed. Where appropriate, in line with regulations or protocols, staff will notified other agencies, professionals and family members. They then work effectively with them to safeguard the young person in their best interests. For example, young people who have a history of going missing from care settle well into the home. Their previous patterns of behaviour significantly reduce or stop. When a missing incident does occur the staff respond quickly and appropriately. They continue to try and contact the young person passing any new information to the police. On the young person's safe return, they ensure there is someone independent to talk to, and make sure the young person is safe and well.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are good at identifying potentially difficult situations and intervene effectively and appropriately. They use individualised behaviour strategies to support young people in managing their emotions. As a result, positive relationships and attachments develop and young people learn to self-regulate their emotions and better improve their behaviour. A social worker stated: 'The staff have developed good relationships with the young person within a very short period of time. She has really taken to her staff team. The Registered Manager seems to have a very calming approach and effect.' Another social worker stated: 'They have a fantastic working relationship with the young person which they have developed in a very short space of time. They are very aware of her triggers and are effective at managing her behaviours. She has been very physically challenging which has resulted in some injuries to staff. Although this has resulted in physical interventions they have always

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Safeguarding children and young people

been short and verbal de-escalating is used to quickly re-engage.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people's safety is further promoted by risk assessments. They are regularly reviewed and audited by the home. All staff are appropriately trained in health and safety matters including first aid and fire awareness. Fire safety procedures and the appropriate records of equipment tests and fire drills are well maintained.

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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

This service was last inspected in January 2013. At this interim inspection it was judged to be making good progress.

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Leadership and management

The home's Registered Manager is on maturity leave. The organisation has appointed an Acting Registered Manager who has been registered by Ofsted.

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Leadership and management

Staffing levels are appropriate to meeting the needs of the young people placed. Staff receive good induction and relevant training. They feel well supported and as a team provide consistency and stability to young people. They are motivated and committed to giving positive experiences and achieving good outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The organisation has established handovers, staff meetings, supervision and appraisal processes that ensure staff receive regular support and opportunities to review and develop the quality of their practice and young people's outcomes. There are also established systems that ensure the home's Registered Manager is supported to fulfil their role and enhance their individual skills. One of these areas is direct supervision with a Responsible Individual. However, since starting in post, supervision for the Acting Registered Manager has been disrupted. Alternative arrangements to address this situation have not been put in place. This has resulted in her not receiving all the support and guidance a manager would normally receive within this organisation.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from working with a well-informed and committed staff team. The Acting Registered Manager makes good use of a range of monitoring activities relating to quality of care. This includes gathering the views of family members, professionals and young people about their experience of the home. This helps her understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Feedback is particularly positive about the quality of the staff team. A young person stated: 'The staff are good. If you ask them for support they are always there to help you. My key worker does my paperwork. We go out on nice activities together. I can chat and get things out of my system over a hot chocolate, which is good.'

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Leadership and management

The Acting Registered Manager ensures that detailed individualised placement plans are in place for each young person. Staff and young people regularly review the plans, which clearly outline individual needs and focus on clear measurable outcomes. This ensures young people’s progress and development is effectively monitored to evidence improvement.

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Leadership and management

There is a Statement of Purpose which informs young people, their families and placing authorities about the services provided by the home. There is a guide for young people which contains all the contact numbers which they may need.

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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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