Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children's home: SC411142 1 SC411142 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children's home: SC411142 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has made significant changes in her lifestyle because of the nurturing approach of the staff team.  Relationships between the young person and the staff, especially key staff, are excellent.  High-risk behaviours are appropriately managed and significantly reduce. This helps the young person to develop socially acceptable behaviours in the home and community.  Staff are valued and receive excellent support from the registered manager.  The registered manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and can demonstrate how the service has improved and what will be done to develop the home further.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC411142 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person receives two-to-one support from a knowledgeable staff team. This high level of intervention ensures that she is cared for in line with her care plan. As a result, the young person makes good progress in relation to her starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person, who continues to have emotional and behavioural difficulties, experiences an enabling culture that adapts in line with her individual needs and circumstances. The young person still faces many difficulties and challenges. However, she has made progress because of the commitment of staff to provide a safe and stable placement. She is beginning to engage with therapeutic services that are designed to help meet her needs. Her emotional well-being is prioritised to support greater resilience and a better understanding of what is possible in terms of self-help in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has just started full-time education after a successful phased start. Staff support her attendance. This ensures that the young person has familiar adults nearby, should they be needed. This discreet support also enables the young person to begin to develop her own friendships, social networks and peer groups in this relatively new social situation. Progress in this regard is good, and the young person is enjoying the opportunity to make friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is exploring activities and hobbies that might interest her in the future. She has recently purchased and is enjoying caring for some goldfish. She is taking her role to care for them very seriously and is doing a good job.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that care planning is of a good standard and is regularly reviewed. 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. The young person is fully encouraged and supported to air her 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 ensures that her voice is heard.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person is safe, and feels safe, at the home. The staff team provides consistency, familiarity and routine, and encourages the young person to discuss her emotions and concerns.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When the young person first moved into the home there were a number of incidents of high-risk challenging behaviour. The registered manager carefully and methodically reviews all incidents of challenging behaviour to establish any identifiable patterns or Inspection report children's home: SC411142 4 trends. This information is discussed in regular meetings between the staff team and the therapist attached to the home. All incidents that have occurred have been appropriately and sensitively managed. The young person’s safety has been the primary focus for the staff team. Because of these positive interventions, the young person is now more settled and calm. She enjoys living at the home, and benefits from trusting relationships with the staff team. She has made significant improvements in reducing behaviours such as self-harm and violence towards staff that once made her and the staff team vulnerable.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff promote the safety and well-being of the young person. They understand the importance of recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse, child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. They use their training to identify and discuss risk. For example, during key-work meetings they discuss any areas of vulnerability. The use of physical intervention is rarely used. If it is required, it is used only by trained staff as a last resort. Staff use their expert skill and knowledge to de-escalate inappropriate behaviour. This helps the young person to take responsibility for her actions. As a result, there is a significant reduction in incidents of violence and the use of physical intervention. Positive praise and rewards reinforce good behaviour and help the young person to feel proud of her achievements.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home environment has been improved since the last inspection. Areas of the home have been repainted, pictures and photos have been hung and new play equipment for the garden has been purchased. Personalisation is evident, and recent redecoration includes choices from the young person. It is clear that the house is considered a ‘home’. The responsible individual and registered manager have a clear and detailed plan to continue improving all areas of the home and garden, and they are working through the identified actions. This cycle of gradual but continuing improvement provides the young person with a clear sense of pride and investment in maintaining a warm, homely and comfortable atmosphere.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home was last inspected in February 2017 and was judged to have sustained progress. The one requirement made at that time has been met. The manager was registered in June 2014 and holds an appropriate level 5 qualification. He is the registered manager for two children’s homes. He shares his time between the two, depending on the needs and demands of each service. His strong leadership qualities, combined with a small but dedicated workforce, contribute to the good quality of care that the young person receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported effectively in their roles and are provided with good quality training and development opportunities. Since the last inspection, some staff have left the team and new staff have joined. The registered manager and core team members have worked hard to ensure that there has been no negative impact on the young person due to these changes. There is now a new, stable staff team in the home. This provides consistency for the young person. Inspection report children's home: SC411142 5 Partnership working and communication with external services is highly effective. The registered manager’s ability to communicate well helps to enhance the relationships between partner agencies. A social worker said that the communication with the registered manager and staff team is, ‘excellent, better than other children’s homes that I work with’. As a result, the young person remains central to the care that she receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: 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 continues to be made. The young person’s placement stability and continued progress is frequently tracked and evaluated to ensure that what is being achieved can be sustained and ultimately improved. The registered manager has a robust range of systems in place to ensure that ongoing monitoring occurs and that these systems inform progress and development.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children's home: SC411142 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Edward James House, Hadley, Telford TF1 6QJ

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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC411142 7 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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