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 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 up to four children. It provides a 12-week assessment to children in crisis. Children come to live at the home because of family or placement breakdown. Some children have difficulties that make it very hard 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 July 2018. She is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She holds a level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services (residential management pathway).

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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

Date of last inspection: 2 November 2017

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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: SC480318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/11/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 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

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice relate supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 30/11/2018

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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. 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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the induction, probation and training of seniors, deputies and managers. 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

Within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff take effective action wherever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff, seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate 30/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 4 having regards to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (d))

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about children must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure stability and provide reassurance at a time of crisis and emotional difficulty in children’s lives. They carefully help children to reflect on their circumstances and help them to work through their difficulties constructively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to re-establish and maintain important everyday routines, such as personal hygiene, eating regular healthy meals and establishing age-appropriate sleep patterns. They also ensure that they attend health appointments and receive the medication and treatment that they require to support their health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted. School is based on-site and operates all year round. There is a dedicated teacher and classroom support-worker who work in partnership with the care staff team. They encourage children, who have often been out of education for a significant period of time, to re-engage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children make more progress than others. The 12-week assessment process enables clinicians attached to the home, with the input of care and education staff, to produce a detailed assessment identifying a child’s future needs. Some children successfully return home to their family, others move on to group or solo residential placements or to secure accommodation. Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 5

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improvement to be good

The staff team faced considerable challenges over the Christmas period and at the beginning of this year. The mix of children placed together, and the influence they had on each other, resulted in a higher than normal number of high-risk behaviours, such as going missing from care and causing damage to the property.

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improvement to be good

Professional relationships with partner agencies during this unsettled period were, at times, poor. For example, staff and children failed to attend meetings and appointments. Decisions were taken without the involvement of a placing authority. Discussions and actions relating to a child protection concern were not adequately recorded. This did not promote positive partnership working or prioritise the safety and well-being of children.

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improvement to be good

The members of the management team have reflected on why this happened. They have learned lessons and taken actions to address concerns. As a result, high-risk incidents in the last quarter have significantly reduced.

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improvement to be good

When children do display risk-taking behaviour, such as engaging in incidents that require police involvement or going missing from care, staff respond quickly. When children demonstrate challenging behaviours, staff use a range of de-escalation techniques to defuse situations. However, records do not consistently show that staff and children have been spoken to by a manager after an event. This fails to ensure that records are accurate and does not provide evidence of reflective practice and learning.

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improvement to be good

When children have been missing from care, records do not clearly show if they have received a return interview from their placing authority. Records also fail to show whether, if interviews did take place, children raised concerns that could be addressed to reduce or prevent further missing from care incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain. Since the last inspection, there have been two concerns raised. These were investigated within the home and initial actions were taken. However, records do not show what actions were taken once the concerns were escalated outside of the home. There is no outcome recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant changes to the home’s management and staff team since the last Ofsted inspection. This has included a new responsible individual, manager, two deputies and seniors. There have been clear interim arrangements in place while new staff have been recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new responsible individual and manager are experienced and have made an immediate positive impact on the quality of care provided. Staff feel well supported and listened to. Significant process has been made. Areas requiring improvement do not Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 6 have any direct impact on the progress of young people. The new management team are aware of the shortfalls and have a clear plan to continue to drive up standards. The new manager and staff team know the current children well and tailor the service to meet their individual needs. The new responsible individual and manager are proactive when a child’s needs change and adjust support for the child and staff accordingly. If a child’s needs can no longer be safely met, they work in partnership with their local authority to quickly move them on, safeguarding the child and other children living alongside them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new management team is now utilising monitoring systems to ensure children’s progress and develop the service. They understand the strengths within the home and what areas still require development. For example, the new management team has identified that some staff do not have up-to-date training. They have ensured that all outstanding training will be completed within the next three months. However, managers who are new in post are not supported by formal inductions, probations or mandatory training programmes specific to their management role within this company.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new management team has also identified that supervisions have not been taking place on a regular basis. Over the last month this has improved significantly, but some records do not show evidence of the reflective practice and learning that takes place. Not all managers who supervise staff have completed relevant training to support them in this role. They are due to attend the next training session in October 2018.

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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 7

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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: SC480318 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 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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