Children's Home run by Reflexion Care Group 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 requires improvement because:

 Young people are well matched and receive good-quality transitions into the home.  Staff develop positive relationships with young people based on mutual trust and respect. Young people thrive on the consistent boundaries and routines that they receive.  Staff and managers create a warm, positive and energetic atmosphere because they are child-focused and care about improving the outcomes of young people.  Proactive staff support young people to engage in education.  Staff use de-escalation and positive engagement techniques to manage young people’s behaviours well.  Staff plan well for young people who have a history of going missing and who are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation. As a result, young people become increasingly safe.  Staff are highly effective. They work well together and receive good-quality support and guidance from managers.  The child-centred registered manager ensures that staff understand the

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

ethos of the home and they prioritise the needs of young people at all times.  There are a few shortfalls. Bedroom door alarms are used indiscriminately, communal spaces are not always accessible to young people, there are limits to the level of personalised care offered to young people and the manager does not effectively review the quality of care offered to young people.

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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, the 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with specific reference to ensuring that young people experience tailored individualised care, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (b) (iv) ensure that staff provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. 14/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(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. 14/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, with specific reference to the use of door alarms and locks of communal spaces, any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises:

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Requirement Due date

(i) is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; (ii) is necessary and proportionate; (iii) is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and (iv) allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 14/02/2017

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and complex needs. The home is owned by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/08/2015 Full Good 21/01/2015 Full Good 21/05/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Staff are creative in their approach to the transition of new admissions into the home. All young people spend the first two weeks of their placement off-site completing one-to-one outward bound activities with staff. While some young people find this experience to be challenging, this intensive two-week period is effective in allowing staff and young people to get to know each other rapidly. As a result, when young people first enter the home they have already had the opportunity to meet the majority of staff, they understand what the home has to offer and as a result, they settle quickly. Throughout young people’s placements, outward bound activities such as kayaking, rock climbing, hill walking and mountain biking form an integral part of their day-to-day routines and are the cornerstone of staff’s approach to successfully engaging with young people. The shared experience of completing these activities helps to create comradery between young people and staff. As

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Good

such, young people quickly develop trusting and respectful relationships with staff. Enthusiastic and motivated staff create a positive, upbeat atmosphere in the home. This approach is infectious and as one staff member told the inspector, ‘There is a real energy to the home.’ This means that young people, who in previous settings have struggled to engage, are now making progress. For example, young people who have previously struggled to engage with education are now fully engaging and working towards multiple accredited qualifications. For one young person, this has given them the motivation to reconsider their academic skills and they have requested opportunities to develop their mathematics and English skills. Staff provide young people with the opportunities to learn new skills, gain qualifications and develop their sense of worth. Intuitive and caring staff are receptive to the emotional health needs of young

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Good

people. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘Sometimes young people need to talk, sometimes they need a hug and sometimes that just need a few minutes on their own.’ Staff work seamlessly, sharing snippets of conversations and observations of young people in order to build up a bigger picture of how a young person is coping or how best to provide them with support. This approach is further enhanced by the input of the clinical therapy team that offers regular consultation advice to staff, through team meetings and telephone discussions. As a result, staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the therapeutic needs of young people. The physical health needs of young people are equally well understood and staff take the appropriate steps to ensure that young people access the primary healthcare required, such as opticians, doctors and dentists. Staff provide young people with age-appropriate opportunities to start to develop

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Good

the skills for future independence. Staff successfully use role modelling, encouragement and praise to promote young people’s engagement. For example, staff encourage young people to cook for their peers and staff, complete household chores and develop their own self-care skills. As a result, young people learn the skills that they need for adulthood. Staff recognise the value of young people having contact with their families in order to avoid them feeling isolated and distant from loved ones. Staff promote telephone contact and where required facilitate transportation to enable direct contact to take place. This means that young people have the opportunity to maintain regular contact with their families, helping to promote the stability of their placement. Staff utilise information obtained as part of the admissions process to develop placement plans for each young person. However, the extent to which these are

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Good

tailored to the individualised needs of young people can be limited. This has an impact upon staff’s ability to review the effectiveness of care offered to young people. This means that young people do not consistently experience personalised care.

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Good

The rural location of the home, combined with the staff’s therapeutic-based approach means that young people significantly reduce their risk-taking behaviours and as a result, young people become increasingly safe. Staff place a high value on consistent routines and boundaries while also managing to avoid being overly authoritarian or dogmatic in their approach. This is supported by an effective rewards system, which is tailored to the individual needs of each young person. Specifically, staff identify with the young person areas of improvement, and attribute a points target to each objective, with a reward for success. For example, one young person is working towards reducing the use of abusive language towards peers and staff. The rewards that young people are working towards are impressive, with one young person working towards a Gucci bag. As a result, young people are engaged in the rewards system and strive to do well, which helps to promote their positive behaviour.

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Good

When situations of conflict do arise and young people place themselves or others at risk, staff are effective at using de-escalation and distraction techniques to defuse the situation. Staff are consistent in their view that physical restraint is the last resort. When a physical restraint is required, staff use reflective therapeutic interviews with young people to reflect on the incident, in order to recognise triggers to the incident and to identify ways to avoid such incidents occurring. Staff support young people to develop strategies to manage their emotions more effectively. Staff are successful in managing the risks associated with young people who have a history of going missing and who are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation. For example, trigger plans are in place for each young person and there are grab bags in place with torches, high visibility jackets and relevant demographic information. In addition, young people’s access to the internet and

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Good

mobile phones is appropriately restricted and supervised. Proactive and alert staff take the necessary steps to keep young people safe. However, staff use door alarms on young people’s bedroom doors indiscriminately. Staff do not review if this is necessary and proportionate to the identified risk. In addition, staff restrict access to some communal spaces such as the lounges, laundry and downstairs toilet, by keeping these rooms locked and without adequate risk assessment. This detracts from the otherwise welcoming and family feel of the home.

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Good

The experienced registered manager has been in post since November 2014 and has the level 4 national vocational qualification in health and social care and leadership and management. Of the 13 staff members, seven have completed the level 3 diploma for residential childcare or equivalent and five are working towards this and are expected to have completed it by November 2018, which is within two years of starting in the relevant post. There have been some significant staff changes over the last 12 months. However, the impact of this has been minimised by the stability of the leadership and management team. The registered manager is passionate about working with young people. For example, he joins activities in order to develop his relationship with young people. Staff say that the registered manager supports them well. Staff are consistently positive about the quality of supervisions, team meetings and training offered.

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Good

Staff say that they enjoy their work and feel well support. This means that young people are supported by a staff team that has the skills, knowledge and motivation to provide them with care in line with the statement of purpose. The registered manager is effective at developing links with partner agencies, including placing authorities and the police. The inspector had sight to a recent feedback from the police, which was exceptionally positive about the links between the home and the police and an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication from staff to young people in their care. The registered manager challenges partner agencies appropriately. For example, the registered manager recently challenged a placing authority about one young person’s care plan. This included an escalation of the concerns to the independent reviewing officer. Current monitoring systems do not always enable the registered manager to

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Good

understand fully the impact that the quality of care provided by the home has on the overall progress and experience of each individual young person.

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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 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, 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 ensure that their welfare is 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 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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