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

Unique reference number SC372661 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Bryn Melyn Care Limited Registered person address 2 High Street Dawley Telford Shropshire TF4 2ET

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Responsible individual Melissa Johnson Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 18/03/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 06/10/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness adequate

Outcomes for children and young people adequate Quality of care adequate Keeping children and young people safe adequate Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

This service has a history of achieving a good standard of overall effectiveness. At the last inspection in March 2014 no requirements or recommendations were made and good progress was being achieved. However, since then there have been two new managers and other significant changes in the team, which have led to deterioration in standards.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged adequate and four requirements and eight recommendations are made. A new manager and deputy have been appointed and effective monitoring and planning are now required. Improved attention is required to maintaining a consistent staff team and ensuring that social workers receive the reports they require. Attention is also necessary to the nutritional intake of young people and how their behaviours are managed in certain situations.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel comfortable in their home and at ease with most staff, most of the time. Their individual needs are often challenging but are usually met well by staff. As a result they benefit from clear progress in several areas. There are effective levels of safety and safeguarding. The new manager has a clear impression of how to improve the service and ensure that its therapeutic aims are met consistently. 3 of 8

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private care organisation, which also provides therapy and education to the young people. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is located in a rural area.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2014 Interim good progress 18/04/2013 Full good 30/08/2012 Interim satisfactory progress 23/05/2012 Full good

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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

4 (2001) ensure the Statement of Purpose consists of the matters as listed in Schedule 1; provide a copy to the HMCI; keep it under review, and, where appropriate, revise it. This is with regard to clarifying the therapeutic regime, management arrangements and admissions policy (Regulations 4(1), 4(2) and 5(a)) 17/11/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that any special dietary needs of a child accommodated in the home, which is due to his health, is met. This is with regard to young people having a sufficiently nutritious intake (Regulation 17/11/2014 4 of 8 13(2))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that before implementing the missing child policy, the registered person shall consult, and take into account the views of, such local persons or bodies as the registered person considers appropriate (Regulation 16(5)) 17/11/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 (Regulation 34(1)(a)) 17/11/2014

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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 restraint is not used to force compliance with instructions where significant harm or serious damage to property are not otherwise likely (NMS 3.14)  ensure children have access to a range of educational resources to support their learning (NMS 8.2)  ensure that avoidable hazards are removed as is consistent with a domestic setting. This is with regard to replacing damaged carpets and addressing the recommended fire safety measures (NMS 10.3)  ensure the registered person has a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the home, either identifying any planned changes in the operation or resources of the service, or confirming the continuation of the home’s current operation and resources. This is with regard to reviewing and addressing the objectives (NMS 15.2)  make every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted (NMS 17.8)

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Recommendations

 ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually, and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is provided for (NMS 19.6)  ensure there are clear arrangements in place to ensure appropriate management of the home when the registered manager is absent (NMS 21.5)  ensure each child's placement plan is monitored by a key worker who ensures that the requirements of the plan are implemented in the day-to- day care of that child. This is with regard to ensuring and recording that social workers are sent regular reports. (NMS 25.2) 5 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people make reasonable progress overall. In particular, they make meaningful relationships with the allocated team members, which are essential. However, this has been compromised by staff changes that reduce the continuity of staffing and the relationships between staff and young people

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The activity programme and school attendance have been maintained. This means that young people try many new experiences and develop their interests and skills. Recent activities include go-karting and skiing. These contribute to their improved feelings of self-worth, which are demonstrated by the positive comments they make to staff, reduction in negative incidents and the attractive presentation of their bedrooms.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people keep in touch with their families and friends in line with their care plans. These arrangements are adapted to ensure they remain as constructive as possible. This is an important contribution towards young people maintaining important links with their heritages. Young people also receive additional input from staff that reinforces the importance of their backgrounds.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The level of attendance at school achieved by young people is high and compares favourably to their peers. This is a substantial achievement as their previous attendance levels were often very low. Young people find the company school to be welcoming and supportive of their educational progress. However, the home does not have enough educational resources available to deal constructively with unplanned, short absences. Support from the school, such as work sheets, is not always available at short notice. This undermines the otherwise effective efforts to facilitate regular involvement in formal education.

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Quality of care adequate

The small scale of the service and favourable staffing levels mean that each child receives highly personalised care. There are close links with another home in particular from which additional staff are often obtained. The views of young people are taken into account all the time and make a difference to the day-to-day operation of the home, including activities and décor. Young people feel able to express views that are contrary to those of others and know they will be listened to. No serious complaints have been made since the last inspection. Staffing arrangements also reflect the individual needs of young people, such as sufficient number and gender balance, subject to the shortfalls reflected elsewhere in this report. The allocated team members establish meaningful relationships with young people and are positive 6 of 8 role-models. This allows them to establish increasingly productive boundaries so that

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Quality of care adequate

young people's relationships with others improve.

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Quality of care adequate

There are good arrangements to support each child's physical and emotional health. Consequently, young people make clear progress towards achieving their expected heights and weights. Controlling the supply of tobacco products has led to one child substantially reducing their intake, which is a positive boost to their health. There is no known drug misuse. However, insufficient work is being undertaken to ensure that each young person has a healthy diet. In some cases, nutritional intake remains poor and healthy eating programmes are not promoted as vigorously as necessary. This compromises medication regimes and has a potentially negative effect on behaviours. On the other hand, each child engages with a therapist, which is a significant contribution toward them feeling positive about themselves and understanding their circumstances.

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Quality of care adequate

Other professionals are generally pleased with the service but expressed some reservations about the quality of communication with them by staff. Records do not indicate that monthly reports have been sent to social workers, as requested.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people are protected effectively from risks associated with going missing and coming into contact with dangerous adults. Incidents are almost nil and young people feel safe. Missing person procedures are effective but require consultation with local bodies to ensure compliance with recent changes in regulation. Staff training adequately prepares them to deal with safeguarding issues. Risks posed by individual young people are fully understood and addressed. The number of allegations and complaints are particularly low and compare very favourably with other children's homes.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Incidents of physical interventions show a marked fall. This is a valuable improvement in the dignity afforded to young people and a positive reflection on their improved relationships with staff. However, in a small number of cases, physical interventions have been used to ensure compliance, for example in removing young people from the office. This is not acceptable and indicates a lack of understanding by staff and insufficiently effective behaviour management strategies. In other regards, the encouragement of positive behaviours has resulted in marked improvements.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

The property itself is satisfactorily maintained and presented with adequate space inside and out. Fraying carpeting pose a slight risk of tripping and the recommendations of a fire safety assessment from December 2013 remain outstanding. In other regards, safety checks and related issues are up to date and keep staff and young people safe. 7 of 8

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Leadership and management adequate

The Registered Manager resigned in June. He was promptly replaced, on a temporary basis, and since September another manager has been permanently appointed. The new manager is aware of the need to register with Ofsted within timescales. In addition, the deputy manager also left and her replacement has not yet started work. The organisation was not sufficiently well resourced to cope with the departure of these senior personnel in a short space of time. This has resulted in uncertainty for staff and to the shortfalls identified in this report. Additional deputy manager positions have now been created to help avoid a repetition of this situation. Sufficient staff are used on each shift. However, the difficulties have been compounded by the use of a large number of additional staff known to young people. This has increased the anxieties of young people and compromised the effectiveness of their relationships with staff.

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Leadership and management adequate

The staffing situation has also compromised the therapeutic intentions of the service. The Statement of Purpose describes these but is insufficiently clear about the therapeutic regime, the current management arrangements, and the admissions policy. A development plan is in place but it has too many targets. The manager's monitoring exercises that are necessary to properly set targets for improvement are also out of date. As a result, although the manager has a reasonable understanding of the team's strengths and weaknesses, his understanding is incomplete. On the other hand, a new independent system of monitoring on behalf of the organisation is now in place and brings objectivity and helpful advice.

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Leadership and management adequate

The support of staff in terms of individual supervision meetings and staff meetings has been adequately maintained although annual appraisals are substantially out of date in some cases. This contributes to the lack of coordination of the team and to practice deficits. Training programmes are in place for each member of staff although the recent staffing difficulties have caused delays in some cases.

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Leadership and management adequate

The organisation itself has been through significant changes and senior managers are now becoming established. Their drive to improve the service includes a newly implemented filing system and recording overall is satisfactory. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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