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 registered manager has made improvements and has clear plans for further developing the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Relationships between staff and young people are excellent.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There have been marked improvements in relation to accessing therapy and excellent progress is being made.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Educational progress is good and recent changes to the education package are working well.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Incidents of going missing are very rare, and restraint is not used in the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Following an unsettled period, the small and committed staff team is now providing familiarity and consistency for the young person.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home is safely maintained and provides a nurturing environment for the young person.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Consequences to negative behaviour are appropriately managed and this helps to develop socially acceptable behaviours in the home and community.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are two regulatory shortfalls which have not unduly affected the young person’s progress. These relate to the location risk assessment for the home and ensuring that the independent visitor speaks to the young person. Two further areas to improve relate to the education and health care plan, and fire drills.

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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 who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Outstanding 16/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2014 Full Good

p.4

Good

The home is well maintained and provides the young person with a comfortable, relaxing and warm environment. Personalisation is highly evident, and recent redecoration to some communal areas included choices from the young person. It is clear that the house is treated as and considered a ‘home’.

p.5

Good

The young person remains in full-time education and there have been improvements since the last inspection. Alternative education arrangements are now in place, and although still relatively new, progress has been strong. Educational attendance remains at 100%, and reports from college demonstrate academic progression. Staff continue to support attendance at both school and college and there is good partnership working. Staff provide discrete support in college. This ensures that the young person has familiar adults nearby, should they be needed. This discrete support also enables the young person to develop their own friendships, social networks and peer groups in this relatively new social situation. Progress in this regard is good, with friends being made. The young person commented, ‘Going to college is a big achievement for me.’

p.5

Good

The young person’s health needs are, on the whole, well met. The staff ensure that health appointments are attended and that files are kept up to date. However, a recent review of the young person’s care requested that the registered manager ensures that the education provider has up-to-date information for the education and health care plan. To date, this matter has not been fully resolved. Since the last inspection, there has been significant progress in the young person attending therapy sessions. The young person commented: ‘[The therapy] helps me to understand the past. Before I came here, I thought everything was my fault.’ As a result, the young person is developing their emotional resilience and is provided with an appropriate outlet to discuss emotional concerns and past events. The therapist commented in relation to progress: ‘The young person is coping much better with change,’ and, ‘There has been a lot of progress in the last six months.’

p.5

Good

The staff ensure that care planning is of a high standard, regularly reviewed and continually adapted to meet changing needs. This is an area of strength and contributes to the young person’s progress. Detailed key-working sessions ensure that a range of relevant topics are discussed and addressed. These sessions are drawn from longer-term plans for helping the young person to make progress. This ensures that staff and the young person have a clear idea of what the aims of the placement are and how these will be met. These detailed sessions are supplemented by less-formalised discussions and house meetings. The young person is fully encouraged and supported to air views, wishes and feelings at all times. Staff are responsive to these views and, where appropriate, ensure that actions are taken. This provides the young person with a genuine sense of involvement and that their voice is heard and matters.

p.5

Good

Relationships between the young person and staff are excellent. This is because staff invest time and energy in supporting the young person to succeed. The home has a familial atmosphere, and it is evident that there is a nurturing atmosphere which benefits the young person. Staff are creative and supportive with activities and clearly are proud of the progress that the young person is making. A therapist commented that there has been ‘massive, massive progress’. Photographs of various events and activities are proudly displayed around the home. This supports the young person in realising their progress and supports their sense of belonging to the home. Comments from the young person include: ‘I have made a lot of progress,’ and, ‘Staff work so hard to help me,’ and, ‘It’s a nice place to live. It is really lovely.’

p.6

Good

The young person is safe, and feels safe, at the home. This is because effective relationships are in place and the young person is fully supported in discussing emotions and concerns. Relationships are built on trust, and the staff team now provides consistency, familiarity and routine.

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Good

The staff team is small and works well together. Furthermore, the staff team is made up entirely of senior care workers. This experience and expertise benefits the young person as there is a robust approach to managing safeguarding in the home. The registered manager develops the team to consider different approaches to behaviour management, some of which draw on research-based practice. This is also supported by the organisation’s own clinical team, which regularly consults with staff about different approaches and techniques to support the young person’s emotional development.

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Good

There has been one incident of going missing since the last inspection. This incident was appropriately managed by staff, and prompt actions were taken to safeguard the young person. A detailed review took place following this incident to fully consider any contributory factors. The young person was appropriately supported in discussing this incident. Furthermore, the registered manager was tenacious in ensuring that the local authority spoke to the young person. Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints from the young person. There is a clear complaints policy in place should this change, and the young person’s guide to the home lists contact details for a wide range of support services, should these ever be required.

p.6

Good

Restraint is not used at the home. All staff are up to date with their behaviour management training and should a physical intervention be necessary, staff are equipped with the skills to respond. Sanctions, where used, are fair and appropriate to the behaviours displayed. The registered manager regularly reviews any incidents of challenging behaviour. The use of detailed discussions with the young person supports reflection on their behaviours. This is well supplemented by the frequent use of praise and recognition of achievements, both big and small.

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Good

The home is in a rural location, close to a busy road and nearby woodland areas. The registered manager has reflected these potential risks in the home’s location assessment. However, the close proximity of a railway line has not been similarly considered in this document. To date, there has been no demonstrable impact as a result of this shortfall.

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Good

All staff are trained in health and safety, and fire safety. Regular checks ensure that the home is safely maintained and any defects quickly identified. There is some innovative practice with regards to fire safety. Scenarios are presented to the young person so as to simulate different fire situations. This provides staff and young people with different situations and encourages them to consider different risks. However, there are no unannounced fire drills in the home, as the scenarios are discussed prior to the drill starting. This means that the ability to evacuate the home without prior announcement is untested.

p.7

Good

When new staff have been recruited to the home, safe recruitment practices have been followed. Appropriate checks are made prior to staff starting in the home, and the registered manager does not use agency or temporary staff.

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Good

The home was last inspected in March 2016 and was judged to have sustained progress. No recommendations or requirements were made at that time. The manager was registered in April 2016 and is currently undertaking their level 5 qualification as required.

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Good

Independent visits to the home, as required by regulation, are not always effective. This is because consultation with the young person in the home does not always take place. For example, since March 2016 there have been five occasions when the views of the young person have not been sought. This is a continuing shortfall as since October 2015 there have been a further three missed opportunities to speak with the young person. This means that the registered manager is not able to fully review this independent consultation as part of their monitoring of the home.

p.7

Good

The staff report that they are supported in their roles and are provided with good- quality training and development. All staff are appropriately trained and up to date with their core training in restraint, child protection, first aid and fire safety, among other areas. Furthermore, all staff have attained their level 3 qualification as required. Since the last inspection, there has been an unsettled period in which several staff have left and new staff have joined. The registered manager has worked hard to stabilise staffing levels in the home and provide some consistency for the young person. There have been occasions when different staff have worked in the home, although this has not caused any negative impact to the young person. Clear plans are in place to manage shortfalls in staffing should these arise in the future.

p.8

Good

The home’s statement of purpose makes clear the aims of the home and how these will be achieved. The staff team members use the organisation’s chosen method of therapeutic intervention, as stated in the document, and are regularly trained in its use. This ensures that the young person receives structured and up-to-date interventions. This is further enhanced by the registered manager’s monitoring of behaviour trends and patterns in the home. A new system is now in place that records different types of behaviour, and this information is analysed to show how behaviour is improving and incidents are reducing. This additional monitoring demonstrates progress and is shared with the social worker and clinical team.

p.8

Good

The registered manager has a sound understanding of the home’s strengths and areas to develop. This is translated into a development plan which is regularly reviewed to ensure that progress is being made. The manager’s own monitoring, as required by regulation, has improved. Although the initial report supplied to Ofsted did not fully meet regulation, a more detailed report replaced this soon after. As a result, the registered manager is able to demonstrate that their own quality assurance is effective and that their monitoring meets regulation.

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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 ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person, if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)) 06/03/2017

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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). (Regulation 46 (1)) 06/03/2017

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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 for children with special educational needs and disabilities, staff establish whether the child has an EHC plan. If the child does, staff must take account of the health objectives it specifies. This specifically relates to ensuring that all actions from the last looked after review are completed as requested in relation to the EHC plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 34, paragraph 7.6)  Ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. This specifically refers to ensuring that fire drills are not

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Recommendations

always announced so a more realistic fire drill can take place. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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

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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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