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

Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 1 SC372602 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

p.1

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 three children. Children come to live at the home because of family or placement breakdowns. Some children have difficulties that make their situation very challenging, or they choose not to live in a family setting at this time. Some children have experienced abuse.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager of this home has been in post since June 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 the 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

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2018 Full Outstanding 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/12/2016 Full Outstanding 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 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. 31/12/2018

p.3

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)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and develop positive relationships with them. As a result, they successfully support children to make informed decisions that reduce risks and help them to make good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop a good sense of belonging, both in the home and local community. Staff support this process in many ways, such as by helping children to join local clubs, such as youth clubs, organising work experience at a nearby fishery and finding stables Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 4 for work experience and riding lessons.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain contact with those people who are important to them. They ensure that children visit family members and that family members can visit the home. This is facilitated by, for example, collecting family members from the local train station, ensuring that they are welcomed into the home and supporting them on activities out in the local area.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to achieve age-appropriate goals towards independence and adulthood. They do this through play and fun activities in and around the home, such as cooking and shopping. They also have set expectations of tasks that need to be completed, such as keeping bedrooms tidy and bringing laundry downstairs. One child is learning about budgeting. He has identified a water park abroad where he wants to go on his next holiday and is saving money towards it.

p.4

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

Staff always promote the safety and well-being of children. They have a good understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures through induction, training and supervisions.

p.4

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

The staff team ensures that it provides children with clear boundaries and responses. The team helps children to understand and appropriately express their emotions. As a result, previous behaviours that resulted in incidents of going missing and emotional outbursts significantly reduce.

p.4

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

Incidents of children going missing from care are low. When incidents do happen, staff respond promptly to ensure that children return home safely. When children have been missing from care, records do not clearly show whether they have received a return interview from their placing authority. Records also fail to show whether, when interviews did take place, children raised concerns that could be addressed to reduce or prevent further missing from care incidents.

p.4

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

The home is welcoming and reflects the wishes and interests of the children living there. For example, there is a shed in the garden that a child helped research, collect and assemble. He has now kitted it out as a chillout space and uses it daily. He is currently discussing with the manager creating a workbench space where he can work on projects.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several management and staff team member changes since the last inspection. A core group of very established and dedicated staff has helped to ensure consistency for children during this period.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has been in post since June 2018. She has a good understanding of the strengths of this service, as well as the areas that need to develop. Since being Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 5 appointed, she has ensured that all supervisions and appraisals are up to date. She has addressed gaps in staff training and she is now working with the new staff team to decorate the house throughout. The staff team is motivated by the new manager. Its members are working well together, looking at ways to improve and develop the service and the outcomes for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation does not currently have inductions, probationary goals 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 means that staff with management responsibility may lack appropriate support and guidance.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team work closely with other professionals. For example, to help a child struggling with a new college placement, the manager quickly organised a professionals’ meeting. With the agreement of the social worker, she brought back on- board the organisation’s school. They have put in place an alternative education package, which is working well.

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.

p.5

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: SC372602 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspector

Dawn Bennett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC372602 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7