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

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The dedicated and highly motivated staff ensure that the young person has a safe, caring and stimulating environment in which to live. Since starting his placement, the young person has thrived physically, emotionally and educationally, because of the excellent care he has received.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The young person feels safe, protected and highly valued by staff that he has grown to trust and respect.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Staff receive in-depth training in all aspects of safeguarding children and are very alert to the young person’s vulnerabilities and potential risks.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The young person is able to access a wide range of opportunities to develop his social skills, talents and abilities.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Staff are resourceful in helping the young person to build up his understanding around the importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The young person feels listened to, consulted and fully involved in all decisions made about his health and well-being, and in everyday decisions.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The staff team works extremely hard to ensure that the young person has placement stability so that he can make meaningful progress educationally, including encouraging high, yet realistic, aspirations.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Integrated working is commonplace, with excellent links established with health, education, police and social workers.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Care planning is comprehensive and highly personalised to the young person’s needs.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Staff plan extremely well for the transition to adulthood. This means that the young person is helped to gather the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required to keep himself safe and well prepared for adult life.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 The leadership is ambitious and energetic, and continuously looking at different ways to improve so that the best possible outcomes are achieved for the young person.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 There is one minor shortfall in practice. This relates to the manager ensuring that the home’s locality assessment remains under review.

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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 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 review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 25/11/2016

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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 of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and the organisation operates other children’s homes in the area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/10/2015 Full Outstanding 04/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/10/2014 Full Adequate

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Outstanding

This one-bed home has accommodated the same young person for a considerable period. The manager ensures that the care delivered by staff continues to be comprehensively tailored to the individual needs of the young person. Consequently, the young person is making exceptional progress across all aspects of his development. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘This placement has been a resounding success for [young person].’ The young person receives excellent care that has enabled him to flourish and overcome difficulties in his past. Through creative and imaginative approaches, the staff have helped him to develop a sense of self-worth and to build coping skills to face everyday life challenges. This is illustrated well in the staff’s approach to key working and their commitment to integrated working with other professionals. Staff have a positive relationship with the young person. A staff member told the

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Outstanding

inspector, ‘It is all about mutual respect.’ Staff have demonstrated that they are able to work in a non-discriminatory and discreet manner to ensure that they maintain the trust of the young person. As a result, the young person feels comfortable talking to staff about sensitive and difficult topics. This means that the young person is well supported and is able to share any concerns or anxieties. Staff understand the views of the young person well. The young person is given every opportunity to contribute to his care. For example, the young person has access to an independent advocate, who helps him to complete consultation questionnaires and to talk through difficulties. This means that the young person feels listened to and is confident that his opinions make a difference. The staff team is proactive in its support to enable the young person to overcome barriers in his learning. An education provider told the inspector, ‘We have had

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Outstanding

constant contact with the home. They kept me well informed all the time, and communication has been great.’ A therapist also told the inspector, ‘It is really important to say how much [young person] has moved on. This is a young person who climbed the walls in education, but now he is a man with a purpose. [The young person] has been highly supported by staff.’ Because of this well coordinated support, the young person has learned to value educational and vocational success. The well-matched education provider means that the young person is continuing to receive a high level of support, which will take him into adulthood. As a result, the young person has a bright future, and is on track to achieve the skills needed for future employment. Staff support the young person to stay healthy. This includes supporting the young person to access local health services as well as specialist health services, such as

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Outstanding

the child and adolescent mental health service. Staff understand the young person’s emotional health needs well. Well-integrated therapeutic services enable the staff team to support the young person to address his emotional health needs. The young person is given every possible encouragement to keep in contact with his family, and staff give all the necessary practical support to make this contact happen. This enables the young person to have people significant to him play an important role in his life Preparation for leaving care and acquiring the skills for adulthood are a fully integrated part of the care provided by the staff team. Staff plan well for the move into semi-independence by explicitly addressing any issues that could compromise a safe transition into adulthood.

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Outstanding

The young person’s welfare is always the most important consideration in the staff team’s day-to-day care. Staff have access to clear procedures and guidance that help them to make prompt responses to concerns about the young person’s safety or welfare. This includes knowing the contact details of the local safeguarding services. Staff ensure that the assessments of risk are detailed and well considered in everyday practice. This supports effective planning by staff to keep the young person safe. Staff take decisive action when a safeguarding incident occurs. Staff use key work sessions with the young person to help him to understand risk and to keep himself safe. As a result, the young person has become increasingly safe. Staff take advantage of the skills of partner agencies, such as the police and fire service, to deliver hard-hitting messages to the young person. For example, staff invited the fire service into the home following a fire-setting incident. This

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Outstanding

approach has enabled the young person to broaden his understanding of why certain behaviour places him and others at risk. Highly committed staff keep the young person safe, providing clear and consistent boundaries. Staff use reflective therapeutic interviews to help the young person to understand the triggers of inappropriate behaviours. As a result, physical interventions are rarely required and incidents of conflict have significantly reduced. Staff support has enabled the young person to develop the skills to be able to regulate his emotions more effectively. Staff take all the necessary steps to ensure that the young person is safeguarded from the risk of exploitation, including online risks. The staff use a wide range of strategies to help to keep the young person safe. This includes using specialist software, key work sessions and high levels of supervision. Staff have also involved the therapy team, to ensure that a holistic approach is in place. As a result, the

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Outstanding

young person has been provided with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills to recognise the risks associated with online safety and exploitation. Trusting relationships with the staff mean that the young person does not feel the need to go missing. Notwithstanding this, staff have been proactive in responding to a recent pattern of unauthorised absences. These steps have reduced the incidents. Self-harming is not currently a feature of the young person’s risk profile. Nevertheless, alert and attentive staff continue to monitor for any potential change to this. Staff support has enabled the young person to develop strategies to manage his anxieties so that he does not feel the need to resort to self-harming behaviours. Staff ensure that the home is well maintained. As a result, the physical environment for the young person is safe, secure and protects him from the risk of harm. However, the manager has not used the input from partner agencies to

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Outstanding

ensure that the assessment of the locality is informed by all available sources. As a result, the potential risks to the young person are not formally understood.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is ambitious and energetic, and continuously looks at different ways to improve. This includes having a development plan that enhances outcomes for the young person. This extends to having set targets that ultimately aim at improving health, education and safety. The experienced registered manager has been in post since October 2014. The manager has completed the national vocational qualification level 4 in leadership and management. The manager has ensured that only suitable, vetted and competent staff get to work with the young person. A stable staff team, which is experienced and knowledgeable, supports the young person. All the staff have completed the national vocational qualification level 3 or equivalent in residential childcare. This has resulted in the young person having the support of a staff team that is highly competent, and has a wide range of experience in childcare.

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Outstanding

A very thorough training programme is offered to all staff, which starts at induction and continues. The registered manager ensures that all staff are up to date with mandatory training. For example, all staff are trained in health and safety, safeguarding, behaviour management and first aid. Staff report that the training offered is comprehensive and useful to their everyday practice. Furthermore, staff say the training is complemented by the regular input, guidance and support from the therapeutic team. As a result, staff feel that they have the skills and knowledge to meet the young person’s needs. This means that staff who feel happy and confident in their roles are able to prioritise the young person’s needs. Staff show both genuine care and pride in the achievements that the young person has made. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I consider [registered manager] and her staff team to be passionate advocates for [young person] and to have a

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Outstanding

genuine, caring approach while presenting firm, consistent boundaries and positive role modelling.’

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Outstanding

The registered manager actively uses monitoring systems to ensure that the quality of care provided to the young person is of the highest standard. The registered manager is able to identify the strengths of the home, and takes action to improve the experiences and care of the young person. For example, supervisions and team meetings are used effectively to help staff reflect on how they work with the young person and ensure that a consistent approach is secured. This means that the young person is supported by staff who know his needs well and understand how best to meet these. As a result, the young person has been supported to make and sustain progress across all aspects of his development. The staff team achieves excellent partnership working with other agencies to help the young person to sustain good levels of progress educationally, emotionally and socially. The registered manager and staff have formulated strong links with

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Outstanding

partner agencies, including the police, fire service, education providers and placing local authorities. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘[registered manager] has worked in a very proactive and collaborative way with this authority. There have consistently been effective lines of communications with the social worker and independent reviewing officer. There are also strong working relationships with external partner agencies in the locality.’ This ensures that the young person receives well-coordinated care, targeted to his individual needs. When partner agencies do not deliver the expected level of service, the registered manager challenges this. This means that the registered manager takes full responsibility to ensure that the young person’s needs remain the home’s top priority.

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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 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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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