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

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers and staff do not all the time act on the feedback that young people provide about their care.  The staff team’s use of locks on doors in communal spaces detracts away from maintaining a homely environment.  Managers and staff do not consistently challenge placing authorities to ensure that care plans are appropriate to the needs of young people.  Staff have not fully assessed and reviewed the appropriateness of using bedroom door alarms to ensure that they meet the needs of young people.  Managers and staff do not always consider or review the vulnerability and risk of harm to young people.  Staff do not ensure that risk assessments always reflect the changing needs of young people.  Staff do not ensure that transition planning and interventions are always effective to help young people prepare for new placements.  The manager’s monitoring systems do not pick up the weaknesses of the home or the action needed to ensure that young people’s needs are fully

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The children’s home strengths:

 Staff know young people well and are passionate about helping them to make meaningful progress.  The manager ensures that staff are provided with training and supervision in order to develop their skills.  Staff support young people to engage with a variety of positive activities.  Young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles.  Staff support young people to understand their health needs, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and how to make informed decisions about their own health.  Staff are effective in promoting contact between a young person and their family.

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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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met In order to meet the engaging with the wider system quality standard, to ensure children’s needs are met— (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. 25/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, in relation to ensuring that staff offer young people personalised care, the young people develop skills to live independently or return to foster care. The registered manager must— (2)(b) ensure that staff— (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; (i) meet the needs of each child. 25/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure— (2)(a) that staff— (i) 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 25/11/2016 the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must— (2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 25/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as possible, when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 25/11/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children’s home staff act as effective advocates for or on behalf of a child who may be experiencing difficulties with education or training matters including, but not limited to, attainment, admissions, attendance or behaviour, as a good parent world do. This is with reference to how staff utilise rewards, incentives or other creative measures to help young people overcome the barriers to engagement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.12)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home, run by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with learning disabilities and emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/12/2015 Full Outstanding 10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/10/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

Staff ensure that the spacious home affords young people a comfortable environment in which to live. There are photos of young people throughout the house and young people are encouraged by staff to personalise their bedrooms. This helps to provide young people with a sense of belonging. The registered manager has clear plans in place to improve aspects of the home and furnishings, which have become worn over time and are in need of updating. There are strong links between staff and the organisation’s clinical team. This includes telephone consultations, visits to the home and attendance at the staff team meetings. This provides staff with the opportunity to adopt a therapeutic approach to the care that they offer to young people. In addition, young people have the opportunity to access one-to-one clinical therapy. The number of young people taking up this opportunity is variable. When young people do engage, they

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Requires improvement

make good progress in respect of their emotional health. However, when there are barriers to engagement with the clinical therapist, staff struggle to support young people to overcome their difficulties. This means that some young people make limited progress in respect of their emotional health. This, in turn, affects some young people’s ability to make progress in other aspects of their development, such as their education, social skills and self-confidence. The staff team try hard to address the barriers to young people’s education. Staff support has enabled some young people to engage with full-time education and they are making good academic progress. In these instances, staff have ensured that good communication with education providers is achieved. Staff have also provided young people with encouragement, guidance and praise for their academic successes. However, other young people continue to struggle, despite

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Requires improvement

staff support. Staff do not always utilise rewards, incentives or other creative measures to help young people overcome the barriers to engagement. As a result, not all young people are accessing education, training or employment. This influences their ability to make progress and achieve in the learning. The staff are good at ensuring that semi-independent plans are in place for each young person moving towards adulthood. These plans are aimed at helping young people to receive the support they need. However, the staff do not always implement the plan consistently to enable young people to develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to prepare them to live independently. Staff sometimes struggle to overcome the barriers such as the young person’s lack of confidence, self-esteem and motivation. When young people do make progress, staff are not always able to support young people to maintain this. This means that the overall

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Requires improvement

development is limited. Staff are not effective in ensuring that young people have the skills and confidence that they require for adulthood. However, staff do support young people to share their views through weekly young people’s meetings, key- work sessions and access to advocates. Young people understand how to make a complaint. However, have not found it necessary to use the procedure. Instead, young people told the inspector, that they are happy and like living at the home. However, when a young person does identify improvement in the care they receive, staff do not always formally document how they have responded. For example, it is unclear how staff have used information obtained in young people’s consultation questionnaires to improve practice and meet the needs of the young people better. Staff are generally proactive in addressing young people’s health needs. For example, staff have worked closely with child and adolescent mental health

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Requires improvement

services to reduce a young person’s reliance on medication. Staff supported the young person to achieve this by providing the young person with both consistent boundaries, and a stable and secure place in which to live. Young people are encouraged to eat healthily and participate in activities, both of which promote a healthy lifestyle. However, staff have had mixed success with this, with some young people being inconsistent in adopting this healthy lifestyle. Staff have positive relationships with young people. Young people told the inspector, that they like staff, finding them easy to talk to and feel that they are approachable. Staff understand the importance of young people maintaining contact with their family. Staff support contact by facilitating transport or ensuring that telephone contact takes place. Staff are sensitive to the emotional impact that family contact can have on young people. Staff plan well, identifying ways to implement additional

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Requires improvement

support for young people before, after and during contact. This means that young people are able to have appropriate levels of contact with their family.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has not ensured that staff fully assess and understand risk. For example, despite evidence that child sexual exploitation is a current risk factor for some young people, the staff team have not fully assessed this risk. Furthermore, staff do not consistently utilise established key-work sessions to help increase young people’s understanding and awareness of such risks. More positively, the staff have worked closely with the local police to ensure that trigger plans are in place. These plans provide good guidance to help the staff to keep young people safe. Staff indiscriminately use bedroom door alarms to monitor young people’s night time movements. Staff do not ensure that they formally assess why such measures are required to safeguard young people or meet individual young people’s needs. As a result, staff restrict young people’s free movement and do not provide individualised care. The use of such systems detracts from maintaining a domestic

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Requires improvement

feel. Staff routinely lock the doors of communal spaces during the day to enforce compliance with daily routines. This again, detracts from securing a domestic feel. This approach compromises other more positive examples of behaviour management used by staff within the home. For example, staff use a range of rewards to promote positive behaviour and are effective in using distraction techniques to de-escalate and diffuse conflict situations. Furthermore, staff’s use of reflective therapeutic intervention to help young people to learn how to manage their emotions are effective. Consequently, the use of physical interventions is rare and situations of conflict between staff and young people is low. Staff’s positive relationships with young people mean that young people do not go missing even when this has been a feature of their behaviour previously. Young people say that they feel safe at the home and are able to seek support from staff

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Requires improvement

should they have any concerns. The therapeutic approach offered by staff reduces the likelihood of young people using self-harm as a coping strategy. As a result, self-harm is not a feature of young people’s risk profiles. Staff and managers oversight of health safety ensures that young people are safe. For example, the monitoring and review of fire safety is robust. The manager’s effective recruitment processes ensures that young people are safe. Consequently, only staff that are adequately vetted get to work with young people.

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Requires improvement

The experienced registered manager has been in post since April 2011, and holds the level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership and management for care services. Out of a staff team of eight, five have completed the diploma level 3 or above in residential childcare. One member of staff is currently completing the course and is expected to complete no later than July 2017, which will be within the required period. The other two members of staff are currently in their probation period and, subject to successful completion, will enrol on the diploma course. The manager’s use of monitoring systems has not enabled the strengths and weaknesses of the home to be fully understood or addressed. This has affected the consistency and quality of care afforded to young people. The manager and staff have develop some good links with placing authorities, and education providers. However, the registered manager do not always challenge

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Requires improvement

placing authorities and partnership agencies when they do not adhere to their responsibilities. For example, there was no formal evidence of any challenge when a young person personal education plan was not available. Consequently, staff do not always have the information that they require to understand fully the needs of young people and to ensure that the support offered is sufficient to keep young people safe and help them to make progress. Staff receive regular reflective supervision. As a result, staff feel well supported, enjoy their jobs, and feel able to seek advice and guidance to improve the care that they provide to young people. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘Supervision is beneficial. It really helps me to learn and know how best to work with young people.’ Induction programmes for new staff helps them to acquire the skills and knowledge that they need to work with young people. For example, before a member of staff

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Requires improvement

starts in post, they are provided with off-site training to complete mandatory training in safeguarding, fire safety and child development. They are also given the opportunity to read case files and shadow more experienced members of staff. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘The training was excellent. I felt really prepared for working with the young people.’ Consequently, young people are cared for by staff that are given meaningful opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. The registered manager ensures that the statement of purpose is up to date, and has clear aims and objectives for the service. The manager promotes a culture in which staff recognise and work towards these aims and objectives in their everyday practice. This results in young people feeling respected, valued and supported.

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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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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