Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 1 SC480318 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 four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company. It provides a 12-week assessment to young people in crisis.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff understand the complex experiences and emotional needs of young people in crisis. Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 2  Staff successfully stabilise young people, and work in partnership with other professionals to undertaken thorough assessments to inform young people’s future needs.  Young people develop positive relationships with staff who sensitively support them to re-establish normal patterns of day-to-day life.  Staff help each young person to make safer decisions.  Staff generally play a supportive role in young people’s transitions to ensure that planned moves are successful.  Regular input from the clinical therapy team helps the staff team to understand and support young people’s emotional health.  The management team leads by example, promoting a culture in which young people’s needs are at the heart of everything that staff do.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 In one case, staff did not work in partnership with a local authority when planning a young person’s transition from the home.  Some young people’s files do not contain the most recent looked after child health assessment.  The registered manager’s quality assurance process does not ensure that all lessons are learned from analysing patterns and trends of high-risk behaviours.  Not all senior staff have attended supervision training. Records of supervision sessions do not include action points for learning and development with clear dates for completion.  The main house’s kitchen looks tired..  Some records were not dated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/11/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(a)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of the children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well- being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10(1)(2)(a)(1)) 31/12/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person decides what each regulation 45 review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time, and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every 6 months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how these actions will be addressed. The

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Recommendations

whole review process and the resulting reports should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  Ensure the registered person has systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, for example teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by appropriately Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 4 qualified and experienced professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes.

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Recommendations

Ensure all children’s case records (regulation 36) are kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children’s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  To ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This specifically relates to the kitchen in the main house. (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people who arrive at this home are often in crisis. Staff are skilled at successfully developing meaningful relationships with young people who have historically struggled to trust professionals. For example, a young person presented as very withdrawn when he first moved in. He was reluctant to build relationships due to frequent moves from previous care homes. The care of his bearded dragon was something that encouraged him to accept the support offered by staff. Staff used it as a way to build a positive relationship with the young person. These relationships enable staff to engage and support young people to stop previous high-risk behaviours such as going missing, violence towards themselves and others, and substance misuse. Young people are protected from child sexual exploitation. Over a 12-week period, staff work in close partnership with the clinicians and education professionals to complete a detailed assessment which informs local authorities of young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people’s future needs. During this time, young people make good progress in respect of their education, health and emotional well-being. This is because staff invest time in helping them to succeed. A social worker stated, ‘Staff really work on relationships. The young person really invested and talked positively about the staff. This was a big step for her.’ Young people’s physical and emotional well-being improves. Staff ensure that young people attend appointments and access specialist and emergency services as necessary. Young people engage in a wide variety of activities which promote their good health and their interactions with staff and peers. Activities are tailored to the individual’s interests. For example, one young person was a very keen sportsman and he enjoyed it when staff Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 5 supported him to take part in various physical activities throughout the day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have been out of the education system for a significant period of time re-engage. Staff consistently promote young people’s education attendance and attainment. They provide daily praise, encouragement and personalised incentives, such as a trip to an ice skating rink. Education takes place on the same site as the home. The home’s staff team, a dedicated teacher and classroom support worker, work successfully in close partnership to ensure that the 12-week assessment includes an assessment of each young person’s academic abilities. Young people’s views, opinions and complaints are valued and acted on. Young people are encouraged to participate in residents’ meetings and key-worker sessions, as well as to express their opinions on a day-to-day basis. Young people influence the meals that they have, the activities in which they partake, and how the home is run. Whenever possible, the manager acts on young people’s wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and facilitate contact between young people and their families, where appropriate, so that young people do not feel isolated. Staff are alert to the impact and anxiety that contact with family can cause young people and they ensure that appropriate support is in place during these times.

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

Young people feel safe and quickly stop previous high-risk behaviours. Staff make effective use of risk assessments and make informed decisions about the risks and needs of each young person. Staff provide very consistent and clear boundaries so that young people know what is expected of them. Staff resolve situations through talking and being open about what is causing young people to become frustrated or upset. As a result, physical interventions and formal ‘consequences’ are rare. Staff have a proactive approach to behaviour management and actively look for opportunities to recognise and praise good behaviour, no matter how small it may be. Verbal praise and rewards are used to promote good behaviour and further strengthen relationships between young people and staff. As a result, young people are less likely to resort to inappropriate behaviours. Staff work collaboratively with the clinical therapy team to enable young people to

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

develop their emotional resilience. As a result, young people are more able to talk about how they are feeling. This helps them to manage their feelings of frustration and anxiety. Staff have a clear understanding of how to manage any safeguarding allegations and the risks associated with child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Key-worker sessions and day-to-day discussions develop young people’s understanding of the dangers that they potentially face, both online and in the community. This supports young people to think about making safe choices. Staff successfully work in close partnership with other agencies to ensure that they meet the individual needs of young people. For example, a local authority child sexual exploitation worker stated, ‘I was able to maintain an already established relationship Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 6 with the young person because staff were accommodating and very helpful. They

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

understood the value of my work and reinforced messages I was delivering. They kept me informed of the young person’s progress and involved me in the young person’s transition on from the home.’ The police care home co-ordinator stated, ‘The staff team works well with the police. The staff engage well with local policing teams when they visit, and the police care home team as a whole. We have had very few callouts to the home, which would suggest that the staff manage the young people well.’ Some young people come to the home due to the risks that they place themselves in by going missing and associating with potentially harmful people. Staff are extremely successful at helping young people to change this cycle of behaviour. There have been two missing incidents since the last inspection, both occurring during young people’s visits home to their families. Staff respond swiftly when young people go missing. They

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

work in partnership with other agencies when required. They continue to communicate and negotiate with the young person at all times. This proactive practice has resulted in young people being found safe. Staff and young people create a homely, welcoming environment. Young people help choose paint colours, wallpaper and new furniture. They also help staff to ‘up-cycle’ old furniture. Staff work hard to maintain good standards. They undertake a lot of the maintenance, as well as the upkeep of the home, themselves. The high standard of décor throughout the home makes the tiles and cupboards in the main kitchen of the home look tired in comparison.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong, experienced and professional management team at this home. The registered manager has been in post since October 2014. Both he and his deputy hold a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The team of five senior staff have all completed their level 3 in health and social care and some are now undertaking further professional development. There is a highly experienced and stable core team of staff. Some staff have been promoted to other children’s homes within the organisation since the last inspection. As a result, a number of new staff have started in post. Those staff who do not hold the diploma level 3 in caring for children and young people in residential care, or an equivalent qualification, are enrolled in or are in the process of completing the course. Staff recognise the strength of the management team in this home and feel well supported. They receive regular supervisions, which they describe as ‘both supportive

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and challenging’. Not all senior staff have undertaken the organisation’s supervision training. Supervision records do not always record clear action points for developing practice, or dates for completing tasks or learning. New and existing staff complete a comprehensive range of training, covering topics related to safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and behaviour management. Staff training is complemented by regular input from the clinical therapy team members, who help to guide staff on how to meet the holistic needs of young people. As a result, young people make measureable progress in all aspects of their development. Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 7 The management team continues to introduce creative initiatives to help develop staff knowledge and practice. For example, the managers have built a library of relevant literature, which includes books on ADHD, autistic spectrum disorder, attachment

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

difficulties and anti-discriminatory practice. Monthly team meetings are used to discuss the ‘house model of parenting’ and the whole staff team takes part in development quizzes. As a result, all members of staff are continually building on their knowledge base in a range of areas. The home’s management team uses external and internal monitoring arrangements to improve standards in the home. Where shortfalls in practice are identified, they are thoroughly addressed. Since the last inspection, there has been one serious concern raised by a placing authority involving a young person who was moved on from the home without their consent. This was not good practice or in line with the organisation’s policies and procedures. An internal investigation was undertaken and its findings have been used to identify actions and improve future practice and outcomes for young people. The registered manager’s internal six-monthly quality assurance report identifies actions

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and informs the home’s development plan. The latest report does not review all areas of high risk to young people, for example missing from care, safeguarding and physical interventions. This is potentially a missed opportunity for the registered manager to identify areas of strengths and possible weaknesses and take action to drive continuous improvement. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last Ofsted inspection. Overall, the home’s and young people’s records are well maintained. Information is chased by the management team if it is missing at the point of placement. However, some files did not hold young people’s most recent looked after child health assessments. Other files contained evidence of good discussions between staff and young people, but some were not dated.

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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: SC480318 8

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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: SC480318 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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