Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 1 SC376719 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group 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

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children aged eight to 18. Children may have faced adverse childhood experiences, trauma and placement and family breakdown. The organisation also provides a therapeutic service that is based on attachment theory.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager registered with Ofsted in October 2012.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 November 2018

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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 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: 25 January 2018

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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: SC376719 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2018 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Outstanding 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 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 may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; and the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d)) 31/01/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  Ensure that the registered person undertakes a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 15.2)  Ensure that the review enables the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written

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Recommendations

report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 15.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in the home because their day-to-day experiences are positive. Staff consistently deliver nurturing care and support. They concentrate on children’s individual needs but also consider group living dynamics. This enables children to focus on their own development as well as recognising the affect that their actions may have on others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are extremely positive. Through these relationships, staff help and encourage children to express their views, wishes and opinions. Staff incorporate these into internal care plans. These also reflect the aims and objectives of the placing authorities. This collaboration means that children are involved in decisions about their care and they have a clear understanding of their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff continually emphasise the importance of education. They use one-to-one sessions to help children to understand how good attendance and attainment supports their development. One child said, ‘I do like school. It was weird at first, but I do like it now most of the time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from easy access to all necessary services to meet their physical and emotional health needs. This includes working with specialist therapists when appropriate. This approach helps children to understand their past experiences and to learn to safely express their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in new activities to develop their hobbies and interests. Children participate in an exceptionally wide and varied range of social activities and leisure pursuits. As a result, they learn new skills and make new friends. This helps children to grow in confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly spend time with their families when this is appropriate to their needs and personal circumstances. Staff understand how important these relationships are to children’s social and psychological well-being. Consequently, they provide children with practical and emotional support that helps them to build positive family relationships.

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

Children are safe because managers and staff are extremely competent in identifying and managing risks. They work in partnership with placing authorities to develop comprehensive risk assessments. This leads to a proportionate and consistent approach to managing incidents of unacceptable or anti-social behaviours. Nevertheless, risk assessments do not include a rationale for the use of bedroom door alarms. This level of monitoring does not necessarily reflect children’s actual risks and may infringe on their privacy.

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

There are very few occasions when children go missing from the home. Staff work with Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 5 police teams, placing authorities and children’s families to quickly locate children. Their actions take account of any increased risk factors such as child sexual exploitation. However, staff do not make sure that records of these events provide a clear chronology of the episode. This limits the registered manager’s ability to fully evaluate these incidents or identify any areas for improvement.

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

Staff are trained to use physical restraint. Incidents that warrant restraint are extremely rare. This is because children benefit from a programme of personalised incentives, rewards and restorative sanctions. Staff use their de-escalation skills to help children to find alternative ways of managing their frustrations. This means that restraint is a last resort to prevent significant harm to children or others.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. They are confident that the registered manager will quickly address any concerns that they have. One child said, ‘She always listens and makes sure things are sorted out properly.’ This culture of transparency helps to protect children from harm.

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

Managers and staff regularly complete safeguarding and child protection training. This includes information on how to refer and manage allegations, and how to support children during investigations. All allegations of abuse or harm are quickly investigated. This good practice promotes children’s safety.

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

Children live in a warm, welcoming and comfortable home. The environment is safe and well maintained. Staff complete health and safety checks and quickly address any concerns.

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

Staff recruitment is safe. The registered manager makes sure that she completes and verifies necessary checks to confirm the suitability of staff to work with children. This helps to protect children from possible harm or abuse.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the skills and experience necessary to effectively manage the service. She holds suitable qualifications. Her vision for the home is aspirational and focuses on children’s individual needs, their progress and their happiness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses a range of internal audits to monitor children’s progress. However, these do not enable her to identify any tangible connection between children’s progress and the quality of care provided by the service. The quality of care report lacks a distinct evaluation of service strengths and potential weaknesses. Action plans do not clearly demonstrate how the registered manager, or others, will address shortfalls, or the timescales for doing so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, practice-related supervision. Most staff hold relevant qualifications for their role, and those who don’t are working to achieve these qualifications. The registered manager closely monitors staff practice to continually assess their performance. This ensures that children continue to receive good-quality care. Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 6 Internal training courses are role-specific and reflect children’s needs. Managers encourage staff to regularly refresh these courses to keep their knowledge up to date. This means that staff have the skills and competencies necessary to help and support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working between the registered manager and external agencies is positive. These relationships are professional and effective. They ensure that children benefit from integrated care and support. When necessary, the registered manager confidently challenges others if their actions fall short of acceptable standards. Consequently, children make good progress.

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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: SC376719 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Black Birches, Hadnall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 3DH

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC376719 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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