Children's Home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 1 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for young people who have learning disabilities and/or who may exhibit complex behaviours because of their childhood experiences. The home provides care for up to three young people. The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in October 2017. He holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 12 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 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 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 13/09/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(e)(h)) 13/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 4

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Recommendations

 Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (Regulation 35 (3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The children’s guide should help children to understand: how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible; and how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including

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Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph and 4.22)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of Regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with teachers to ensure that young people sustain good school attendance. Staff help young people to make academic progress by supporting them in school and praising them when they do well. When the time is right, staff help young people to search for college places. Therefore, staff help young people to value education and to develop aspirations for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to prepare for their futures. For example, young people complete an independence folder that focuses on key issues such as budgeting, healthy eating and support networks. Staff also support young people to take age-appropriate risks. For example, a young person can use public transport independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support young people to maintain links with people who are important to them. This includes staff travelling long distances to support young people with visits to see their families. This positive approach supports young people to rebuild important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a warm and nurturing environment. Staff offer young people hugs and show signs of affection. Staff talk to young people about emotions and things that Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 5 are troubling them, such as making friends and family relationships. This helps young people to build trusting relationships with staff and to develop resilience and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage young people to have a say in decisions about their care through regular planned meetings and day-to-day discussions. When young people are unhappy, staff arrange for them to speak to an independent person. Young people know how to complain and how to exercise their rights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are offered a range of activities. This can include going karting, swimming and trampolining. Staff support young people to develop their hobbies and interests such as attending Army Cadets and St John Ambulance Cadets. This helps young people to develop social skills and to make friendships in the local community.

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

Young people rarely go missing from the home. When they do go missing, staff react promptly to safeguard the young person. When they return to the home, staff welcome them back and try to understand the reason why the young person made the decision to go missing. Staff request independent return home interviews from the local authority. However, when these interviews are not provided, managers do not escalate their concerns with the local authority. This leaves young people without the opportunity to talk to someone independent of the home.

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

Young people’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not always have advice and guidance for staff on how to deal with young people’s vulnerabilities that can put them at risk. This means that staff do not have all the information that they need to safeguard young people.

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

Staff educate young people about online risks. However, staff have not considered the risk to young people from online gaming.

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

Staff only use sanctions sparingly. Instead, staff help young people to reflect on their behaviour. The use of de-escalation techniques means that staff rarely need to use physical intervention. Clear recording of incidents shows that restraint is only used as a last resort. Following an incident of restraint, staff talk with young people and comfort them if they are upset. However, staff do not encourage young people to comment on the record of restraint in their own words.

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

Staff receive a range of training opportunities, including essential courses such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, they receive training that is specific to individual young people. This helps staff to understand the complex needs of young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a visible and accessible leader. He ensures that his staff team Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 6 members have access to appropriate facilities and resources to support their ongoing training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals say that the registered manager and staff work positively with them and that young people have made good progress from their starting points because of the care that they have received from the registered manager and his staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are diligent in ensuring that staff who come to work at the home are subject to the required safe recruitment checks before they start to work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have either achieved a level 3 diploma in residential childcare or are working towards the award. They receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal, and they are positive about the support that they receive from the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager does not always ensure that young people experience consistent care when cover staff are required. This can sometimes leave young people receiving care from less familiar members of staff who do not have the same level of knowledge on how to meet their individual care needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s monitoring of the quality of care does not always pick up omissions in recordings. For example, minutes of team meetings do not always have a record of staff who have attended. Young people do not have information about how they can access the support of an advocate nor about organisations who can offer them support such as the Children’s Commissioner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers do not keep staff rotas in accordance with regulation. This shortfall means that the rotas remain unclear about when staff have been in contact with young people should this information be needed in the future.

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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: 1256638 7 Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 8

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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: Reflexion Care Group Limited, Black Birches, Hadnall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 3DH

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256638 9 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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