Children's home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

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.

p.2

because:

 The manager has not ensured that risk assessments are robust enough to address the changing needs of young people.

p.3

because:

 Managers are not evaluating measures of control and discipline to support and develop new strategies.

p.3

because:

 Managers are not informing HMCI of all serious safeguarding incidents.

p.3

because:

 Young people do not have access to a full-time education. This is limiting their progress and ability to reach their full potential.

p.3

because:

 The manager has not ensured that health and safety checks have been carried out regularly.

p.3

because:

 The manager has not reviewed the home’s quality of care. This has hindered him in evidencing the difference that the home is making to improving young people’s lives.

p.3

because:

 Managers have not ensured that young people have the opportunities to contribute positively to the running of the home.

p.3

because:

 The house has a large amount of damage that requires repair.

p.3

The children’s home’s strengths

 Staff work collaboratively with other professionals to ensure that young people receive support and guidance.  Contact with significant family members is encouraged, supported and maintained well.  The manager provides staff with ongoing support, supervision and specialised training that reflects young people’s needs.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard requires the registered person should: (2)(a) ensure that staff: (ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; (iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. 07/02/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

To meet the education standard requires the registered person to ensure: (2)(a) that staff: (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. 07/02/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

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 the child; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 07/02/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to physical restraint, requires the registered person to: 07/02/2017 (2)(g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on: (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (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. The registered person must make a record of every fire drill or fire alarm test conducted, with details of any deficiency in either the procedure or the equipment concerned, together with details of the steps taken to remedy that deficiency. (Regulation 37 (6)) 07/02/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 07/02/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every six months. The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(4)(a)) 07/02/2017

p.5

Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a private organisation providing up to three placements for young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement This is the first inspection since registration on 20 April 2016

p.6

Requires improvement

This is the home's first inspection since it was registered in April 2016.

p.7

Requires improvement

Staff are not seeking the views and opinions of young people on aspects of the home, such as menu planning and activities. Key worker sessions are not consistently undertaken, and house meetings do not take place regularly. This means that young people’s views do not influence the running of the home.

p.7

Requires improvement

Staff attempt to engage young people in education. Their efforts are not successful, and young people continue to lack motivation to attend or maintain their education. This lack of formal education compromises their attainment, which has a negative impact on their life opportunities.

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people have personalised care plans that staff keep under review. These plans take account of the full range of their needs and identify their daily support requirements.

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. They attend their routine health appointments with good support and encouragement from staff. The organisation’s therapeutic team works alongside staff and young people, providing clinical oversight and offering one-to- one sessions with young people. This means that young people with specific emotional health needs receive appropriate support.

p.7

Requires improvement

The manager has ensured that medication is stored safely, and records are maintained on the administration of medication. This ensures that young people receive their medication safely and in line with their prescription.

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with their families and carers in accordance with their care plans. Staff clearly understand the importance of contact for the young people and, if required, support contact arrangements. This promotes young people’s relationships outside of the home

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people engage in positive activities outside of the home, where they can develop sporting talents and individual abilities. This provides them with opportunities for fun and enjoyment and the acknowledgement given to their significant achievements builds young people’s self-esteem. Judgement grade

p.7

Requires improvement

Personalised risk assessments help to inform staff about the issues pertinent to each young person. However, not all risk assessments are relevant to the young person. For example, there were no clear indicators for the supervision levels of specific young people. This is not ensuring that staff have clear, up-to-date guidance to support effective safeguarding practice.

p.8

Requires improvement

Some young people’s behaviours have been extremely challenging, and progress in changing their behaviour has been slow. Because of this, there have been a large number of physical interventions. Staff maintain records of any incidents that have occurred and there is management oversight in place. However, the manager has failed to learn from these incidents and to identify patterns and triggers, and due to this there are no new strategies in place to address future challenging behaviours.

p.8

Requires improvement

There has been damage to the home by young people, which has left parts the home in a less than suitable condition.

p.8

Requires improvement

The manager has not ensured that weekly health and safety checks, including the testing of fire alarms, have been regularly undertaken. This places young people and staff at risk.

p.8

Requires improvement

Staff have effective working partnerships with placing authorities, the local authority and police to help create a strong multi-agency approach to safeguarding.

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people rarely go missing from this home. Any unauthorised absences are short and are used as opportunities to educate young people about personal safety. Staff demonstrate good knowledge of the joint police and local safeguarding procedures to follow if young people do go missing. This means that the appropriate internal and external systems are in place to ensure young people’s safe return.

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people are protected by the organisation’s robust recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is made. These procedures promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them. Judgement grade

p.8

Requires improvement

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since April 2016 and holds a level 5 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care.

p.9

Requires improvement

The manager has not always ensured that notifications are sent to HMCI, which enables the regulator to carry out its safeguarding responsibilities effectively, to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

p.9

Requires improvement

The manager ensures that an independent person visits the home every month to monitor and report on the quality of care provided. Monitoring reports review the home’s performance and young people’s progress, and identify areas for improvement. Regular consultations with young people, parents and other professionals are undertaken and influence the progress of the home and the quality of care provided. However, the manager has not provided HMCI with a regulation 45 report reviewing the home’s quality of care. This does not ensure that the regulatory body has an overview of the home’s performance, or show a commitment from the manager to evidence continuous improvement.

p.9

Requires improvement

The manager has ensured that the staff team has the necessary qualifications and skills to undertake its roles. There is a training matrix in place to ensure that training is up to date and current. All staff are qualified or working to gain the relevant qualification for their roles within regulatory timescales. This ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in looking after young people.

p.9

Requires improvement

The manager ensures that team meetings take place regularly, which gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice and helps to develop their skills and abilities. The organisation’s therapists attend team meetings to provide clinical oversight of the young people. The manager and staff confirm that they receive formal supervision and have their performance regularly appraised.

p.9

Requires improvement

The statement of purpose document clearly demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This makes it possible for parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of services available. Young people are provided with a good quality welcome pack, providing them with information that is important for them to know and understand, such as how to complain and their rights while in care.

p.9

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’.

p.10

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

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12