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 is good because:

 The manager and staff are passionate and dedicated in providing good quality care.  Relationships between the young person and staff improve.  Joint working with partner agencies is strong. Communication is effective and improves the life chances of the young person.  The young person feels safe living in the home.  The young person does not go missing from the home. He is safe. Staff protect him from harm.  The young person is happy living at the home. Activities are fun and varied.  There are some shortfalls identified. They are in relation to fire safety, surveillance, bedroom furniture, the statement of purpose, the quality of care review, risk assessments and notifications.

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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 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)) 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child's age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(c)) 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that any decisions to limit a child's access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child's welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child's needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.10)  Ensure that children are provided with appropriate furniture. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 16, paragraph 3.19)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person notifies Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Information about this children's home

This privately operated children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2015 Full Outstanding 19/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/12/2014 Full Good

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Good

This is a single occupancy home. The young person has recently moved into the home and is beginning to form relationships with the staff. The staff understand the importance of maintaining a consistency of staffing. This helps the young person to become familiar with people who provide his care.

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Good

The young person now engages with his education placement. He is doing well. Staff confirm he is working towards his GCSEs. A staff member said, ‘He passed his exam in maths in May 2016’. Staff continually support his education progress and attendance. This keeps the young person focused and motivated to do well. The young person said, ‘I love science’.

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Good

The staff provide a wide range of activities for the young person to engage with young people of his own age and ability. These opportunities expand his social skills that help him to interact appropriately with others. As a result, his social and physical well-being is enhanced.

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Good

Contact arrangements between the young person, his family and friends keeps him in touch with those who are important to him. This helps to strengthen bonds. The young person said, ‘I have lots of friends at school. I tell them what I have been up to here.’

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Good

Staff encourage the young person to stay fit and healthy. As a result, the young person eats a good balanced diet and takes regular exercise. Additionally, he attends all his routine health appointments. This keeps him fit and well. The young person said, ‘I love cricket and enjoy PE at school. I have a bike and a scooter.’ The young person engages with life story work that helps him to understand his life journey. This enables the young person to gain valuable information that informs him about his path into care. The young person talked about his life story book and said, ‘It is sometimes sad to look at but it does tell me the truth about things that have happened in my life.’

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Good

The young person works hard to develop and improve his independent life skills. Since living at the home he has asked staff for more responsibility. For example, he will help to fix things and loves DIY. He is better at budgeting his money. He has opened a bank account and can now deposit money himself. A staff member said, ‘He can now go around the shop on his own. He will complete his own shopping list and will cook for himself.’ This means he is preparing well for adult life.

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Good

The young person does not have enough suitable furniture in his bedroom to provide storage for his belongings. The staff keep his clothes in the office. This restricts his independence as he has to rely on staff to provide his clothing for him. Some areas of the home are locked out of habit. For example, the lounge was locked, restricting the movements of the young person. Although the staff gave good reason for the room being locked during certain times, there was no risk assessment to demonstrate how this was to be managed and reviewed. The rest of the home is well furnished and nicely presented.

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Good

The young person feels safe living in the home. Staff regularly review his risk assessment to make sure they are providing the best support to meet his needs. The supervision he receives from staff on a daily basis keeps him safe from harm.

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Good

There are no records of young people that previously lived at the home, or the current young person placed, going missing from home since the last full inspection in August 2015. This means that young people are safe from child sexual exploitation.

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Good

The staff use an alarm sensor on the stairwell exit at night. The staff and the manager confirm that this is used at night to safeguard the welfare of the young person. There is no evidence to show that the staff informed the young person of their intention to use the alarm for the purpose of surveillance or monitoring. There is a risk assessment for the young person in respect of the alarm, but it has not been reviewed. This is a missed opportunity to showcase the improvement he has made, as he has not attempted to leave the home at night since the beginning of his placement.

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Good

The staff work in excellent partnership with the police to help support the young person’s behaviour. They regularly attend strategy meetings to make sure everyone is doing the best they can to keep him safe. As a result, his behaviour is better managed. Where behaviour is likely to result in harm to others staff act in line with the home’s behaviour management policy. Staff use physical intervention only as a last resort. They make every effort not to criminalise behaviour. A staff member said, ‘To reduce criminalisation we provide early intervention.’

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Good

The staff implement clear boundaries to help the young person understand what is expected of him in the home. They use praise and reward to promote positive behaviour. This works well. For example, the young person wanted to go on a Segway while on holiday. Staff used a reward chart to help him achieve this. As a result, the young person feels proud of his achievements. This reduces incidents. Sometimes sanctions are used when behaviour is inappropriate. An example of this is the loss of an activity. Staff give the young person the chance to earn back privileges by turning his behaviour around. This helps him to recognise his behaviour and the need to take ownership of his actions.

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Good

The young person knows how to complain. He has made one complaint since moving into the home. The manager listens to and addresses any concerns. She responded in writing to the young person giving him the outcome of her investigation. This means that complaints are taken seriously. As a result, the young person feels listened to. There is a clear procedure for making complaints and the children’s guide also signposts the young person to advocates he can also contact to raise any concerns. This keeps him safe.

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Good

Staff keep the home environment free from risk. They regularly monitor the home and report any defects that present a hazard. Staff are all trained in fire safety. They and the young person take part in routine fire drills. This makes sure that everyone knows how to stay safe in the event of a fire. The home’s main source of heating is oil. The last service highlighted some areas that needed action. The manager has not taken sufficient action to ensure the home is safe in respect of the report. There is no guarantee that the flue is safe from combustible materials.

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Good

Sometimes the fire extinguisher is relocated due to the young person tampering with it. The fire plan shows the location of the fire equipment. The manager has updated the fire risk assessment to tell staff and the young person where the equipment is moved to when it is targeted. However, the floor plan does not cross- reference the information to the risk assessment changes.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since August 2012. She has over 16 years’ experience working with children and young people. She is supported by a senior staff member who has a national vocational qualification to level 4 in caring for children and young people. There is a full complement of staff who further enhance the workforce. Most staff are suitably qualified and hold a level 3 diploma or national vocational qualification in caring for children and young people. Those members of staff who are working towards the qualification are expected to complete it in the required timescales.

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Good

Staff feel supported by the manager. There is an open door policy that gives staff the chance to seek ad hoc supervision or advice when they need it. This strengthens the team and helps to drive improvement. The staff and the manager are suitably trained, supervised and appraised. The home is monitored by an independent visitor who identifies any strengths or weaknesses. Further monitoring is done by the manager. She uses the information provided to complete a quality of care review. The review of the quality of care does not provide a clear view of how the manager will improve or maintain the quality of care, and it lacks the feedback and opinions of children and young people.

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Good

The manager and the staff have a clear understanding of the ethos and purpose of the home. They demonstrate this in their daily practice. The manager has reviewed the statement of purpose, however, there are some minor errors that need correcting.

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Good

A notification was not sent to Ofsted in line with regulation when the young person was taken to hospital for medical attention. The manager acted in the best interest of the young person to ensure he was treated, following his accident. However, the notification was not provided. This has the potential to delay any response from Ofsted.

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Good

The manager and the team work very well with partner agencies. The communication is strong and effective. This makes sure information is shared. This improves the life chances of the young people that the service provides care for.

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Good

The manager has a hands-on approach that gives her an oversight into the progress the young person is making. The progress is tracked well by the staff. Key working meetings and one-to-one daily discussions give a good indication that the care plan is being met. As a result, the young person continues to progress.

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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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