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:

 There is effective leadership, which is enhanced by a stable staff team that is experienced at meeting the needs of young people in crisis.  Practice is reflective and tailored to the individual needs of the young people living at the home.  Young people settle quickly and make good progress.  Young people develop positive relationships with staff who sensitively support them to re-establish normal patterns of day-to-day life.  Staff support and educate young people to keep themselves safe.  Staff have a good understanding of the risks that young people face and they manage those risks well.  There were some shortfalls identified: − The registered manager has not had an annual appraisal. − The young person’s contact arrangements are not clearly recorded. − An increase in staff ratios to support staff and a young person with challenging behaviour have not been risk assessed and are inconsistent on

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person/s must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1) Schedule 3(16)) This specifically relates to the arrangements for, and any restrictions on, contact between the child, the child’s parents and any other person. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard 12(1) The protection of children standard ensures that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. It requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) This specifically relates to risk assessing clearly and recording required staffing levels, linked to behaviour management plans, to ensure consistent practice. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each member of staff has their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) This specifically relates to the registered manager receiving an annual appraisal. 31/10/2016

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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

22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

20/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their lives. They experience placement stability where they are able to make progress against their agreed plans. Staff are focused on providing nurturing care, based on individual needs. Staff have a good insight and understanding of young people’s circumstances and backgrounds. Although young people still struggle sometimes, they have good relationships with staff who are able to positively influence behaviours and choices. Since the last inspection, one young person has moved on from the home and one has moved in. Staff support young people to settle and develop a good work ethic. As soon as young people arrive, staff work successfully to increase their positive participation and engagement, for example in education and with youth offending services. They establish healthy sleep patterns and active, constructive days. Staff use this time to establish relationships and promote the idea of positive hobbies

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Good

and interests, and education outcomes. Young people’s school attendance and education outcomes are good. The majority of young people at the home attend the company's own registered school. Staff liaise with this setting and ensure that induction and initial assessments take place in a timely manner. Staff promote regular attendance and celebrate good educational progress. Staff successfully engage young people in productive hobbies and interests. One young person has been attending the home matches of a local football team. He is now planning with staff to attend some away matches. This positive experience and engagement are increasing his appropriate social interaction. Staff ensure that young people are well informed about a wide range of health issues. This supports them to make informed decisions, which affect their long- term health. Staff promote healthy lifestyles, which include a nutritious diet,

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Good

exercise and regular attendance to health appointments. Staff work proactively in partnership with health professionals. This ensures that young people’s health and physical well-being improve. Young people attend counselling sessions with the company’s clinical team. These sessions support the young people’s emotional development and well-being. Young people are consulted and listened to. They influence the care they receive and plans for their futures. Contact with family and others who are significant to them are promoted, when appropriate. Staff have an excellent understanding of the challenges faced by young people living away from home. They provide transport, and supervise and host contact. Current arrangements for contact in line with the placing authority’s plan of care are not clearly recorded in the young people’s files. Young people are developing confidence and self-esteem. Staff encourage this by

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Good

providing new experiences and opportunities while ensuring safety. Individual progress is appropriate to age, understanding and assessed vulnerability. Young people are actively involved in identifying the skills they want to develop, such as going on holiday. Young people successfully participate in daily practical tasks that support them to move on to adulthood and independent living. Staff target support, depending on the individual's age, needs and ability. Young people participate in cooking, shopping, laundry and other skills that result in increasing independence. Staff also involve young people in money management. A young person described making the decision not to eat out on every day of his recent holiday. Instead, he used the money saved to have a day at a theme park. He appreciated that, as a result of saving, he had a ‘fantastic day out with staff’.

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Good

Staff effectively promote young people’s welfare and ensure that their safety is paramount. All young people have risk assessments that link to their placement plans. This ensures that staff have a good understanding of the risks that young people face and enables them to respond effectively to address those risks. A staff member stated, ‘We are a strong, boundaried team but also caring and nurturing.’ Staff are skilled at managing young people’s emotions, the environment and activities in ways that safeguard themselves, young people and others. Staff are experienced and knowledgeable. They develop their understanding through appropriate training and clinician-facilitated meetings. These systems allow for reflection on practice and are linked to the needs of young people and the staff team. Young people learn to manage their behaviours and increase their communication skills. Levels of physical interventions, use of consequences and numbers of

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Good

incidents are low, overall. However, staff are still skilfully managing very challenging behaviour, damage to property and aggression. The registered manager takes prompt action when she identifies increased risk from regularly monitoring incidents. For example, she has increased staffing to ensure safe care practice and robust routines after some very challenging incidents. However, there is not an assessment of risk to support these staff increases, and there have been some days when the rota has not accommodated the increase. This could potentially place staff and the young people at risk. 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 has been one missing incident since the last inspection. Staff respond swiftly

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Good

when young people attempt to go missing. They recognise triggers and stay with the young person. They will work in partnership with other agencies when it is assessed that they are required. They continue to communicate and negotiate with the young person at all times. This proactive practice has resulted in young people returning safely to the home and not being classed as missing. Young people know how to raise issues and how to complain. They say that they feel safe and well supported. They have access to a range of staff and individuals they can go to if they have any worries. The young people and staff have created a very welcoming home. Any damage is quickly repaired. There is a development plan in place, which identifies planned refurbishment work. The registered manager and staff team continue to maintain standards. For example, they have just received funding for a new kitchen. The young people like the layout of the home and really appreciate the work the staff

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Good

team does to make the home feel ‘chilled and a good place to relax’.

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Good

Young people benefit from a well-managed home that is having a good impact on their outcomes and life experiences. The registered manager and staff team are clear of the aims and objectives of this service. In turn, they communicate this effectively to placing local authorities and the young people who come to the home. This is supported by an informative statement of purpose and young person's guide. The registered manager regularly reviews the statement of purpose, and it accurately reflects the aims and objectives of the service. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection. The registered manager has been in post since 2008 and holds a national vocational qualification at a level 4 in care and management. She also manages another registered children's home, which is situated nearby. The registered manager’s time is shared between both homes, depending on the needs, demands

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Good

and circumstances of each service. Staff are well informed and understand their roles and responsibilities. They know whom they are accountable to and what tasks and responsibilities are delegated to them. They feel the registered manager is ‘excellent’ and that effective support structures, such as supervision and appraisal, ensure reflection and their continuing professional development. However, the registered manager’s appraisal has not taken place this year. This does not support her continuing development. All staff are qualified except for one. He is within regulatory timescales to obtain his qualification within two years of starting work. Staff are supported to develop their practice through training, clinician-facilitated meetings and structured team meetings. All of these enable them to reflect on their practice, discuss how well the young people are progressing, and provide challenge. Internal and independent monitoring reports demonstrate that the registered

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Good

manager has a strong understanding of the service’s shortfalls, where improvements need to be made, and how these are going to be achieved. There are good systems, which enable her and staff to assess the impact of their care and report on the progress that young people make. Staff take pride in seeing the young people develop and progress. The registered manager and staff have established networks and relationships with a range of agencies and professionals that are involved in meeting the needs of young people. All are positive about the quality of communication and commitment of the staff team.

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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’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that 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 that 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 whom 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 the ‘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 0300123 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

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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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