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

Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 1 SC372613 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The service is owned by a private company. The home is registered to accommodate up to three children. Children come to live at the home as a result of family or placement breakdown. Some children have particular difficulties that make it very difficult to live in a family setting, or they choose not to. Some children have experienced abuse. The manager of this home has been in post since October 2015, and has been registered with Ofsted since April 2016. She is nearing completion of the level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services (residential management pathway).

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 2 30/08/2017 Full Good 13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2016 Full Good 20/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the induction, probation and training of seniors, deputies and managers. 30/11/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff sensitively and effectively support children to move in and out of the home. When possible, these moves are planned around the specific circumstances and needs of the child. This ensures their involvement, which helps them settle quickly.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in most areas of their lives. They attend school and make good educational progress. They build positive relationships with staff. They maintain and increase contact with their families. They develop interests and hobbies, and form Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 4 friendships with peers through school and in the local community. They learn to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When some children struggle in areas of their lives, staff provide proactive, practical support. They talk to children to help them make better-informed decisions moving forward. They increase support and staffing at key times, for example during education or when out in the community. This approach enables children to feel safe and stable, ready to move forward.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop the skills they require to meet their aims and objectives. For example, one child successfully moved to foster carers. Another child is currently exploring pathways into further education and work because of interests he has developed with the support of staff. His carpentry skills are evident in the garden and the house and he continues to enjoy his weekly work placement.

p.4

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

When children demonstrate challenging behaviours, the staff use a range of de- escalation techniques to defuse situations. The positive relationships that exist between children and staff have been key to sustaining placements and children’s safety.

p.4

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

When children display risk-taking behaviour such as alcohol misuse, engaging in incidents that require police involvement or going missing from care, staff quickly respond by offering direct work that promotes opportunities for change. As a result, children develop lifestyle habits that benefit their long-term physical and emotional well- being.

p.4

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

Some children who have had significant histories of going missing from care are at less risk now because staff have been successful in helping them modify their behaviours.

p.4

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

When appropriate, staff promote the use of independent time away from the home as a way of children learning about personal responsibility, safety and independence. Ongoing assessments of risk inform staff about how best to look after children in these circumstances, as they sometimes struggle to keep themselves safe when away from the home.

p.4

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

The registered manager is well informed and in regular dialogue with social workers and police. This ensures that plans are in place which effectively reduce future risks and support children to manage their behaviours, relationships and emotions.

p.4

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

The home is currently undergoing some refurbishment as a result of recent damage and general wear and tear. Some progress has been made in returning it to its original welcoming and homely state. However, carpets are still worn throughout, and some rooms need more work. For example, the upstairs sitting room is without a settee and is furnished with mismatched items, including an old office cupboard which still has a lock on the outside. This creates an institutional feel, rather than the cared for and nurturing Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 5 environment that is in line with the organisation’s statement of purpose and ethos.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff team know the children well and tailor the service to meet their individual needs. The registered manager is proactive when a child’s needs change and adjusts support for the child and staff accordingly. If a child’s needs can no longer be safely met, she works in partnership with their local authority to move them on to a more suitable provision.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the deputy demonstrate and model for staff their commitment to identifying areas for improvement and sustaining the delivery of good- quality care to children. Staff are supported to develop their practice through training, clinician-facilitated meetings, structured team meetings, supervision and appraisals. As a result, staff feel supported, as well as professionally challenged to reflect upon and develop their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation does not currently have inductions, probationary periods or mandatory training programmes that are specific to staff who are either new to management roles or new to management roles within this company. This puts additional responsibility and pressure on the registered manager and the deputy. Within this home the support they provide for their staff team is excellent. However, this could be further enhanced by good-quality organisational processes.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the responsible individual work in close partnership with other professionals. When a child’s needs are not being met, they give robust challenge. When necessary, they escalate concerns to ensure that the best interests of children are met at all times.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the deputy have good monitoring systems in place to capture children’s progress and ensure that documentation is up to date. This allows them to understand the strengths of the home and the areas that require development.

p.5

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. Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 6 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

p.5

Information about this inspection

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: SC372613 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Dawn Bennett: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC372613 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8