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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young person is continuing to make good progress and to experience improving outcomes in most areas of his life, in comparison to his previous circumstances.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young person is now in full-time employment. The progress he has made means that he is now ready to move on from the home, in line with his local authority plan.  Care and support are planned, coordinated and delivered to a good standard.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young person’s level of formally assessed risk has been significantly reduced.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young person has important influential relationships with a consistent group of staff.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The registered manager and acting deputy are experienced. They are working proactively to continue to improve quality of staff practice and outcomes for the young person.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There is effective partnership working with a wide range of organisations. This has resulted in the young person achieving his objectives of employment and leaving the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Some records are not detailed and do not accurately reflect the staff team’s good practice.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff are not following procedures for the safe handling of medication. Internal investigations into mistakes are not rigorous.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home has recently undergone some refurbishment. Work remains ongoing. This means that young people are not yet benefiting from a comfortable place to live

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that: (a) Within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure (Regulation 35(3)(a)). 31 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the safe handling of medication and the robustness of internal investigations when mistakes take place (Regulation 23 (1)). 31 July 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the home maintains a domestic rather than an institutional impression (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).  Ensure staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4).

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11 March 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The young person continues to make good progress in all areas of his life. For example, he has been working part-time and, after applying for a number of jobs, he is now in full-time employment. Employment has been well thought through. It is situated near where he will be moving on to, rather than near the home. The staff team is supporting him to maintain employment until he moves by transporting him to and from work every day.

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Good

Staff are nurturing and have spent time developing respectful and trusting relationships with the young person. There is continual consultation and dialogue. This has supported him to develop his confidence and self-esteem. The young person’s social worker stated: ‘The young man scores the service 10 out of 10 for both his being happy and feeling safe.’

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Good

Staff encourage the young person to take a proactive role in looking after his day- to-day health and well-being needs. He accesses specialist support, and staff play a key role in sensitive organising and ensuring his attendance while promoting his independence.

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Good

There have been two recent occasions when staff have not followed the procedures for the safe handling of medication. On both occasions this has been identified and internal investigations have taken place. One was still ongoing at the time of the inspection. The first investigation was not helpful to the registered manager or staff team. The report was not accurate and was delayed. This has meant that not all action points have been implemented. If they had been implemented, they might have prevented the second mistake occurring. The responsible individual is currently addressing these concerns.

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Good

The young person has regular increasing contact with his family. The staff team promote this important aspect of his life. The social worker stated: ‘The staff team has always supported the young person with contact and in ways I have never experienced at any other home. For example, he hosted his sister’s birthday party at the home. They have always welcomed his family into the home. If a parent is struggling to get to the home, then they will go and pick them up and transport them to make sure the young person has the regular contact. They really do go that extra mile.’

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Good

The young person has a clear plan for his future. He continues to develop the skills he will require to live successfully as an adult. This process is being proactively supported by the staff team and registered manager. They are working closely with other professionals, specifically to ensure that support is in place once he has moved, in order to maintain healthy routines.

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Good

Staff ensure that the successful progress and safety of the young person are given good priority. They collaborate successfully with youth offending services and the placing local authority. The work they have undertaken has meant that formally assessed levels of risk have significantly reduced. This has increased the future options available to the young person.

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Good

Staff effectively balance the need for safety with the young person’s increasing independence. They promote and support the young person’s social experiences. This includes having free time away from staff and increasingly regular contact with family.

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Good

Staff work in a supportive and structured way with young people to reduce negative and risk-taking behaviours. They recognise the triggers that might result in a recurrence of a behaviour or an increase in likelihood that the young person might not cope with a situation. Their success in breaking patterns of behaviour has resulted in a reduction in the use of physical intervention and, therefore, a reduction in staffing levels.

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Good

Records of physical interventions do not give detailed accounts of incidents. Although this has been identified by the registered manager, records have still not been updated to give robust information. This results in reports that do not safeguard young people or staff.

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Good

Staff have a clear understanding of how to manage any safeguarding allegations. They receive regular safeguarding training which includes a range of topics, including children missing from home and awareness raising, in relation to child sexual exploitation. There have been no complaints, safeguarding concerns or missing from home incidents for a significant period of time.

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Good

The home’s environment is safe, but needs more work to feel homely and welcoming. Work is underway and areas of the home that are tired and worn are being revamped. The garden is also being attended to. The work completed is bright and cheerful. Carpets are still to be purchased. The registered manager has a budget and is working with the staff team to create a more nurturing, cared-for environment. Judgement grade

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Good

The home operates in accordance with the aims and objectives of its statement of purpose and children’s guide. It provides an accurate and comprehensive picture of the home and of the services it provides. Practice is based on therapeutic and attachment models.

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Good

The home is managed by a qualified, skilled and experienced manager who has been in post and registered since 2010. The post-holder also manages another registered children's home, which is close by. The manager’s time is shared between both homes, depending on the needs, demands and circumstances of each service.

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Good

The registered manager holds a national vocational qualification at level 4 in care and management and a therapeutic childcare degree. She continues to have a good understanding of the strengths and development needs of the home. She updates her knowledge to improve staff practice and the operation of the service. She monitors and reviews the quality of the care that the young person receives and ensures that the young person’s plans are measureable and achievable. She regularly sees the young person and consults with the placing social worker, parents and other professionals, and uses feedback to inform future practice.

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Good

Consistency within the staff team is good. The deputy position has not been filled as to do so would disrupt consistency for the current young person, as he plans to leave. There is a good interim arrangement in place. The staff team is being effectively supported by the deputy manager of the registered manager’s sister home. This supports staff as well as maintains continuity of care for the young person.

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Good

The staff team works effectively in partnership with all professionals. As a result, feedback is positive. The young person’s social worker stated: ‘I have been really impressed with the service. They have supported the young person to achieve all his objectives in line with our plans and expectations.’

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Good

Young people’s records are not consistently detailed. They do not always reflect the good experiences and progress of the young person and do not represent the significant contribution to their life history that the service has made.

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Good

There were no requirements or recommendations made in the last inspection report.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’. An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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