Preston Springs Farmhouse

Inspection report children’s home: SC441080 1 SC441080 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The service is owned by a private company. The home is registered to accommodate three children. Children come to live at the home as a result of family or placement breakdowns. Some children have particular difficulties that make their situation very difficult, or they choose not to live in a family setting at this time. Some children have experienced abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager of this home has been in post since March 2017. He is nearing the completion of the level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care, and children and young people’s services residential management pathway, and has a therapeutic childcare degree.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC441080 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2018 Full Good 02/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC441080 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, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 14/09/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with very complex needs to make good progress in most areas of their lives. They work alongside a member of the in-house clinical team to review and address children’s placement plans. If children stop making progress, staff put well- considered strategies in place to re-engage them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show empathy and understanding towards children and consistently apply the home’s therapeutic care model. They help children develop confidence and self-esteem and support them to experience new hobbies, activities and social settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have been out of the education system for a significant period re-engage. Staff consistently promote their education attendance and attainment, and advocate on their behalf. As a result, considering their starting points, children make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and facilitate contact between children and their families, so children do not feel isolated. Staff understand the impact and anxiety that contact with family can cause children. They ensure that appropriate support is in place during these times.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and responsible individual have recently raised serious concerns Inspection report children’s home: SC441080 4 about child protection with a placing authority. They have also been in discussions with the police about an increase in their involvement with the home. However, the organisation, responsible individual and registered manager have not escalated their concerns high enough within the placing authority. This has allowed poor practice to continue and had the potential to negatively affect a child. In addition, leaders have not foreseen or addressed some concerns raised by the police.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between children and staff are positive overall. Staff take time to get to know each child and understand their needs. However, these relationships are not always strong enough to prevent the influence of peers and other individuals. This has led to some violent incidents towards staff and an increase in missing from care incidents, some involving children being missing for a number of days.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff respond promptly and go beyond the necessary steps to ensure that they return home safely. Discussions and one-to-one sessions focus on helping children understand the risks of going missing and how to keep themselves safe. When safeguarding and sexual exploitation concerns have been identified by staff, they have been sensitively managed and promptly referred.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They work in partnership with other agencies. When necessary, the registered manager will advocate on a child’s behalf and challenge agreed actions to ensure that they receive the services that they need to be kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise when children become anxious or upset. Staff step in and use a variety of de-escalation techniques to help children to manage their emotions as safely as possible. Risk management plans are clear and provide staff with guidance on how to manage children’s risk-taking behaviours. When the severity of violence increased for one child, the registered manager organised advanced de-escalation training for the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The knowledgeable staff team feels well supported by a very dynamic and enthusiastic registered manager. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals and are all appropriately trained and qualified. They are motivated by the registered manager, who is always looking at ways to improve and develop them and improve the children’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy know the strengths of the home, such as the committed staff team and the good-quality consultation and involvement of children in their plans. They are aware of the areas of development in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has proactively supported staff who have experienced some very difficult behaviours and high-risk incidents during this period. For example, he increased staffing levels, without funding from the placing authority, when a child’s physical aggression escalated. He ensured that a member of staff had access to a Inspection report children’s home: SC441080 5 clinician for counselling after a physical assault. He made the decision to end placements where the staff team was no longer able to meet children’s needs. He has ensured that full staff team meetings review the end of placements to look for any lessons that can be learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers speak highly of the ‘resilience’ and ‘tenacity’ of the staff team that is working with very complex children who have experienced multiple previous placements.

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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: SC441080 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

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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: SC441080 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 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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