Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 1 SC372621 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 because of family or placement breakdowns. Some children have difficulties that make their situations very challenging, 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 manager of this home has been in post since May 2018. Her application to register as manager has been submitted to Ofsted. She is currently working to complete the 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; are familiar with and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection procedure. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children, and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who develop positive relationships with them; engage with them and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account, and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(ii)(iii)) 30/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 4 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.

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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))

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and 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)) 30/11/2018

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Recommendations

 The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, this service has experienced several changes. Two children have moved out of the home, and two children have moved in. There have also been changes to the staff team, which have included the previous registered manager being promoted to a new role outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not skilled at ensuring that children’s views, wishes and feelings are heard, considered and acted upon. Relationships between children and members of staff are still developing as children settle into the home. Children feel well cared for most of the time, and find some staff are supportive. However, at other times they do not feel safe and do not feel that staff listen to them.

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improvement to be good

There have been occasions when children have experienced bullying. These incidents have been quickly addressed and acted upon. Key-worker sessions have looked at Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 5 developing positive relationships, and staff supervision has been increased. The clinician attached to this staff team has helped one child to reflect on the dynamics of her relationships with other children.

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improvement to be good

Staff are supporting children to experience positive outcomes. For example, health needs are identified and met. One child, who was afraid of attending appointments, has been supported to attend appointments with the dentist and the doctor to investigate a long- standing medical issue. Staff promote the importance of education, and work closely with educational professionals. All children are attending education provisions and making good progress from their starting points.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently ensure the safety and well-being of children. Records of discussions and key-worker sessions include details of concerns raised by children. However, staff do not use their professional curiosity to follow these concerns up or address them on behalf of the child. For example, concerns raised about education staff’s practice had not been followed up. A discussion about a historical incident had not been passed onto a social worker. These issues were addressed by the responsible individual and the manager during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Other safeguarding concerns have been appropriately referred to partner agencies. A member of staff has been appropriately suspended pending the outcomes of safeguarding and disciplinary investigations. New concerns, which were raised during the inspection by a child, were promptly referred by the responsible individual and manager.

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improvement to be good

Areas of the home are worn and tired. Some upstairs carpets are presenting potential tripping hazards and some paintwork is badly marked. The managers and staff team have worked hard with the children to make the home feel welcoming and personalised. Their efforts are being hampered by major work that needs to be done by the organisation and the landlord. Once this has been completed, the house can be painted, carpets replaced, and the kitchen extended into a room that is currently bare and not being used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and staff are not yet consistently working together, or in partnership with other agencies, to provide effective services for children. They are not listening to children or addressing concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New managers have a growing understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of this service. For example, recording systems have been reviewed. All key-worker sessions record actions to be taken as a result of any discussions. The manager reviews and comments on these sessions. Inspection report children’s home: SC372621 6 Managers are also in the process of developing the staff team’s practice. For example, the manager, deputy and clinician have recently run some team-building sessions. Managers ensure that staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. During these meetings, staff are supported to reflect on, and develop, their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be 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 or new to management within this company. This means that staff with management responsibility may lack the support and guidance they need to develop their practice, skills and knowledge.

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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: SC372621 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: SC372621 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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