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 provision is outstanding because:

 Staff are exceptionally nurturing and dedicated to providing a high standard of care. Consequently, children and young people benefit from excellent experiences when living at this home. They said that they feel loved and cared for, and all make significant progress.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff have high aspirations for children, young people and themselves. This positive culture promotes an enabling environment where everyone prospers – children, young people and staff alike.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children and young people are significantly safer because they break previous patterns of going missing and substance use. At the time of the inspection, there were no concerns about child sexual exploitation.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Pragmatic and creative approaches to education promote excellent outcomes. Some young people enjoy a combination of further education and work experience in order to meet their needs. Others enjoy, and do exceptionally well in, full-time education placements. Social workers said that education outcomes are outstanding because staff ‘recognise massive potential and academic ability’.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Behaviour management is an exceptional and ever-developing strength. Children and young people significantly improve their life chances, such as education and a greater acceptance in society, as they tackle some of their extreme and dangerous behaviours.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager makes sure that staff are suitably trained for many different and complex behaviours and risks. Recent training in radicalisation, forced marriage and female genital mutilation keeps staff up to date with these emerging trends within children’s social care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Managers and staff consistently drive progress. The team is innovative and creative. Their sensitive insight into the needs of children and young people drives their focus. They never give up, and truly believe in the potential of children and young people.

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Information about this children's home

This home is part of a private organisation and is registered to accommodate up to four children and young people with learning disabilities and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties. The organisation operates a school on a separate site and also offers therapy.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2015 Full Good 09/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/12/2014 Full Good

p.4

Outstanding

Children and young people develop extremely positive and meaningful attachments with staff. Through their diligent understanding of children and young people’s previous childhood experiences, staff care is highly sensitive and responsive to some very challenging behaviours. High-quality interactions with care and education staff enable children and young people to feel valued, and they make exceptional progress across all aspects of growing up.

p.5

Outstanding

Social workers and other professionals are extremely positive about the care provided by the staff and the resultant outcomes for children and young people. Professionals said that children and young people do ‘astonishingly well’, are ‘more confident and empowered’ and experience ‘the longest period of stability’ in their childhoods. Social workers said that the home is successful because the staff team ‘is really good at setting boundaries, being engaging and thoughtful’.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff are creative and intuitive. They display an unquestionable commitment to their roles, responsibilities and the needs of children and young people. Staff are quick to seize opportunities to work with children and young people. Staff are adept at enabling children and young people to talk about the more challenging experiences as they enjoy baking a cake, walking or fixing a bike alongside the staff.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff place children and young people at the centre of their recording. ‘What we did’ records include photos and short write-ups, so that children and young people can understand why a discussion or activity took place. Children and young people make excellent progress because their care and key-working is particularly well- focused and integral to the placing authorities’ placement plans.

p.5

Outstanding

Behaviours significantly improve as children and young people respond positively to rewards and target setting. Children and young people are proud of their newly decorated bedrooms and the displays of their most prized possessions, which they earn for not damaging furniture. Some children explained that their behaviour was so dangerous that they had to be held several times a day, but now this seldom happens. They said that earning activities and being allowed to do activities like Thai boxing helps them channel their aggression and understand respect for others.

p.5

Outstanding

High-quality education arrangements are a priority for the manager and staff. Children and young people benefit from structured learning. Children and young people make new and positive relationships as they join in a variety of activities and local community resources, such as the local youth club and football teams. Children and young people now surround themselves with positivity. They value new friends and interests. They no longer gravitate to extreme aggressive behaviours, they seldom go missing or use drugs because they make alternative and positive choices.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff are skilled at identifying and bringing out the best in children and young people. Combining education with hobbies, such as hairdressing, gives some young people an excellent sense of purpose and focus for future employment. Staff work alongside colleges and work experience placements to help young people explore employment choices. Practising job applications, writing CVs and attending workshops all make positive contributions to young people’s confidence and search for employment.

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people grow in self-esteem as they try to excel in activities such as wake-boarding, boxing and cycling. DJing at family birthdays and college parties gives young people a brilliant sense of self-esteem as they contribute to the enjoyment of others and express their considerable talents.

p.6

Outstanding

Physical exercise is a crucial part of children and young people’s positive health outcomes. They maintain better weight as sedentary hobbies, such as playing on computers, are now replaced with outdoor activities. Joint activities with staff help children and young people to develop self-esteem as they have an excellent sense of achievement.

p.6

Outstanding

Regular health checks and staff encouragement to eat healthily promote children and young people’s excellent health outcomes. They now understand and take pride in maintaining good personal hygiene and develop understanding of their own health needs.

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Outstanding

High-quality key-working and engagement with therapy enable staff to prioritise children and young people’s emotional and mental health. Children and young people become more resilient and emotionally mature as a result of engaging in talking and play therapy to explore their childhood experiences.

p.6

Outstanding

Good-quality compatibility assessments are completed by the manager and staff. These assessments are used to the best effect to make sure that children and young people are matched well to each other and the staff skill-set. Children and young people mature and become confident individuals as they consistently receive exclusive, individual time with staff. Significant age gaps between children and young people become irrelevant as they all accept each other and embrace their differences. Children and young people live harmoniously and there are no concerns about bullying.

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people are empowered to express their views because staff and social workers consistently listen and act on their ideas. They express their views in young people’s meetings, and key-working is a powerful tool for expression and discussion. Children and young people know how to complain, and they feel confident that the manager and staff will listen and take appropriate action.

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people make a useful contribution to the upkeep of the home by helping around the house. Making decisions about menus, activities and key- working topics gives them an excellent sense of self-determination and independence.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff conscientiously support young adults to move on from the home. Staff are extremely sensitive to the emotional needs of young people who have lived at the home for a period of several years. Their insight and understanding of some young people’s moderate learning difficulties ensure that young adults have transition packages that are realistic and meaningful to their needs. Young adults are better able to manage their anxieties about leaving their home because they know that staff will visit them and that there is always a welcoming invite back to the home for Sunday lunch.

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Outstanding

Children and young people live in a comfortable and homely setting. A new one- bedroomed annex to the home provides an excellent resource to prepare children for a smaller family fostering environment or older young people for independence.

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Outstanding

The quality of care and safeguarding is outstanding due to a sound and effective care planning framework. Risk and behaviour management plans set out strategies to keep children and young people safe from risk and fully support their welfare.

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Outstanding

Missing from home procedures are kept up to date due to regular discussions with the police. Police officers are very positive about the staff and said of them: ‘They love their jobs and have always got time,’ and ‘[They are] so responsive to anything new we introduce.’ Excellent partnership working results in individualised missing from care protocols which respond to each child’s or young person’s vulnerability. While going-missing episodes are few, insight and good sharing of information results in effective location and safe return of children and young people to the home.

p.7

Outstanding

Children and young people become increasingly safer because staff, parents and the police quickly review risk management strategies when events do not go as well as expected. For example, parents work together with staff, police and social workers to ensure that contact arrangements remain positive and minimise the risks of children or young people going missing.

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Outstanding

Behaviour management is an exceptional strength because staff understand children and young people’s reasoning. The manager explained: ‘If a child’s behaviour is understood then they will change it.’ Staff are extremely patient and skilled in finding positive qualities, no matter how small. Children and young people who are used to negative experiences, slowly, but steadily, begin to feel better about themselves. They invest more time in doing the things that they now realise that they are good at, and leave behind negative behaviours that bring so much disruption and upset to their lives.

p.8

Outstanding

High-quality and engaging key-working enables children and young people to explore their strengths and work on their behaviour. Staff are skilled and creative in the work that they do with children and young people. Simplistic and practical discussion points such as ‘what we did’, ‘why we did it’ and ‘how it went’ enable children and young people to engage and keep a record of their experiences at the home. Children and young people are intrinsically involved in their care and therefore invest in improving their behaviour.

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Outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since March 2015. He has extensive experience and a suitable level 4 qualification in management.

p.8

Outstanding

Managers organise training to ensure seamless progression from induction, probationary training and then timely registration for a level 3 diploma in caring for children. All experienced staff have completed their level 3 qualification. New staff rate induction training very highly. They are keen to progress in their probationary period and value the on-going training that they receive.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff also receive specific training according to the needs of the young people, to include drugs misuse, child sexual exploitation and self-injurious behaviours. Regular staff supervision, staff meetings and handover discussions support consistent care practice across the staff team. Leaders and staff work according to the home’s statement of purpose.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff are highly motivated and have a strong belief in the registered manager’s leadership style. They feel supported, well-developed, and they work as a cohesive team. The manager encourages and develops staff skill and expertise. Exploring and researching a range of topics and setting up monitoring systems drive staff ambitions, which include becoming a manager and going to university to study social care.

p.8

Outstanding

This motivational approach to improving the care of children and young people is driven by on-going research and an underpinning theoretical foundation to the quality of care. Work by Pavlov, Skinner and Wolfensberger informs staff guidance and the excellent focus on engagement in positive activities and reinforcement of behaviour.

p.9

Outstanding

Children and young people experience a firm sense of permanency, with no agency staff working at the home. The registered manager maximises his responsibilities for managing two homes as he expertly interchanges staff to meet children and young people’s needs. Children and young people look forward to spending time with staff as they move between the homes. These flexible staffing arrangements give greater scope to effectively cover increases in staffing, annual leave, staff meetings and training.

p.9

Outstanding

Staff comments, such as: ‘Giving young people experiences that they have not had before means giving a little bit of ourselves’, exemplify the dedication of staff. Children and young people feel special because staff swap shifts and work additional hours to support activities and celebrate achievements.

p.9

Outstanding

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding because the manager and staff have high ambitions for children and young people. Staff want the best for their children and young people and will advocate strongly to make sure that this happens. Children and young people have long-term plans for future placement moves and education as a result of this proactivity.

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Outstanding

The quality of care is assured effectively with regular monitoring. Regulation 44 visits are extremely positive and show good compliance with regulations and quality standards. Managers and staff embrace feedback. The two recommendations from the last inspection to improve recording have been fully met. Driving improvement and change is of second nature to the staff team. Comments from professionals, such as, ‘Wonderful – nothing bad to say and a really lovely company that works wonders,’ and, ‘If you were a mum and your child had to go into care then you would want them to come here,’ attest to the inspirational nature of this service.

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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 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, 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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