Children's home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2507038 1 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned provision is registered as a children’s home to accommodate up to 33 children and young people with special educational needs and learning disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorder. There are six detached houses on the one site. This was the service’s first inspection after being registered in March 2019. The new manager has been in post since 3 July 2019 and has submitted her application to be registered with Ofsted. She holds a registered manager’s award and a foundation degree in therapeutic childcare.

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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: this is the first inspection since registration in March 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2507038 2

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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

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; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the responsible individual chasing specific paperwork, such as minutes from meetings and medical assessments. 30/09/2019

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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; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 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; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to records being kept identifying what actions are being taken by staff to help children meet their targets. 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 30/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2507038 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have sensitively supported two children to move into this new service. Each move was planned to meet the specific needs of the child. Staff have positive, trusting relationships with both children and provide clear boundaries and routines. Staff consult with children and support them to personalise their bedrooms and to become familiar with their new home. This enables children to feel secure and comfortable and to settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers and parents are positive about the progress that both children have made towards their individual targets. For example, they are attending full-time education, inappropriate behaviours have reduced and children are re-establishing positive relationships with their families. Staff work closely with children to ensure that their goals are clear and achievable, and that all milestones and successes are celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive outcomes for children are quickly being seen. However, staff are not always capturing how this progress is being achieved. It is also not clear if staff are aware of all of the actions identified by the children’s local authorities and other professionals. This is because key documents, such as minutes of children’s review meetings and medical assessments, are not on children’s files and are not available to staff.

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

Children learn skills to cope with situations that they have historically found difficult and have put them at risk. Staff use strategies that anticipate children’s need for reassurance and support children well. As a result, incidents, the use of physical interventions and risks decrease. This is having a positive impact on other areas of children’s lives and enabling them to achieve more, such as going out into the local community and seeing their families.

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

There have been no complaints from children, parents or professionals. There have been no significant safeguarding incidents. There has been an appropriate and proportionate use of physical restraints and sanctions. These have reduced as children have settled and staff have supported them to use new strategies to better communicate their emotions and needs.

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

The staff team works hard to ensure that the homes and site are well maintained and welcoming. However, some furniture and fittings such as the outdoor furniture, dining- table chairs and doors into the homes do not create a domestic or homely feel. As the site and homes are used on a day-to-day basis by staff and children, practical adjustments also need to be made to the environment. For example, there is limited outdoor play equipment to encourage children to play. Staff are using new entrances with no pathways which present potential slipping and tripping hazards. Inspection report children’s home: 2507038 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager knows the service well as she was previously the deputy manager. She works with partner agencies effectively and ensures that staff send weekly and monthly reports to parents and social workers. She responds proactively to the independent visitor’s monthly visits, reports and recommendations. She is about to complete the service’s first formal quality assurance review and plans to use this process to develop an action plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a continual programme of staff recruitment. This is ensuring that adequate numbers of staff are recruited prior to new children moving into this slowly growing service. However, the service’s statement of purpose is not up to date and does not detail changes that have been made to the management structure and staffing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported by the organisation’s induction, probation, mandatory training and supervision programmes. Managers of the organisation’s three specialist learning disabilities services meet with the training team on a regular basis. This enables the manager to ensure that staff have access to the training that they require in line with the emerging needs of children.

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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: 2507038 5

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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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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Inspectors

Dawn Bennett: social care inspector Louise Whittle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2507038 6 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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