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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 1 SC480318 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 up to four children. It provides a 12-week assessment to children in crisis. Children come to live at the home because of family or placement breakdown. Some children have difficulties that make it very hard to live in a family setting, or they choose not to. Some children have experienced abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager started in July 2018. She is suitably qualified and holds a 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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2018 Full Good 02/11/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 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. 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) In particular ensure that staff read and follow individual children’s risk assessments. 09/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing injury to any person (including the child); serious damage to the property of any person (including the child). Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(2)) 09/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 09/09/2019

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Recommendations

 Many children placed in homes may undergo a difficult transition and what should be simple aspects of their care take on a substantial significance in this context. Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 4 individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) In particular, support children to personalise their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people arrive, they are welcomed by staff who are sensitive to their complex needs. Young people often move in at a difficult time in their lives. Staff are skilled at settling young people into the home and quickly forming warm, positive, respectful relationships. Young people benefit from a calm rural environment and a comfortable, well-maintained home. Most young people personalise their bedrooms with posters and personal possessions. However, staff have not helped one young person to personalise and care for his room. This means that he is not fully benefiting from being able to relax in his own space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to young people and explain decisions to them. Young people said that they can talk to staff if they have a problem. Young people express their views, wishes and feelings to staff individually and attend young people’s meetings, which take place weekly. Staff have taken several actions because of points raised by young people. For example, a goalpost is being purchased, a trip to Alton Towers has been agreed and staff are buying extra controllers for the play station. Young people are confident to make complaints, and staff respond appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people said that they are happy living in the home and find staff supportive. Staff help young people to prioritise what they need to do to achieve better outcomes. For example, they help young people to establish a healthier sleep pattern, better regulate their emotions, engage with and enjoy age-appropriate activities and keep themselves safe. Young people benefit from engaging with a psychologist who comes in each week to talk to them. Young people’s physical health, emotional well-being and social skills improve because of the support that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education and work closely with the teacher and classroom assistant who are based on the same site. As a result, young people who have been out of education for a long time, or who have not been engaging with education, re-engage, make good progress and are praised for their achievements. One young person, who was struggling with reading and writing when he arrived has improved these skills significantly. Another young person is fully engaging with education. She has just finished her first GCSE year. She has been supported by education staff who have given her extra tuition to improve her attainment in maths and English.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in developing their independence skills. One young person plans meals, has a budget and does her own shopping and cooking. She really enjoys cooking and recently cooked for staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 5

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

Staff keep young people safe. For many young people, incidents of going missing, offending behaviour and physical intervention reduce as they settle into the home. For example, one young person who struggled to regulate his emotions initially required a lot of physical interventions to keep him safe. During the past four months, his behaviour has calmed, and these incidents have stopped. The other young people are also very settled.

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

Positive relationships between staff and young people are key to managing young people’s behaviour and keeping them safe. Staff focus on the reasons behind young people’s behaviours, to better understand how to meet their needs. During their time in the home, young people learn how to better understand and manage their own emotions. Staff provide firm and clear boundaries which help young people to feel secure. Staff undertake key work sessions with young people, which help them understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff are suitably skilled and well trained. Training sessions cover topics including safeguarding, self-harm, child sexual exploitation, internet safety and ligatures. If young people go missing, staff follow them and liaise with the police and social workers to aid their safe return.

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

The registered manager regularly reviews and updates risk assessments, which are detailed and provide staff with clear guidance and strategies. When incidents occur, the registered manager reviews them with staff to reflect on staff practice and identify whether things could have been done differently.

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

The registered manager responded quickly and robustly to an incident of poor staff practice, when a young person was restrained for a long period while at the swimming pool. This was not in keeping with her risk assessment. Following the incident, staff did not fully obtain her views, wishes and feelings about the restraint. The registered manager investigated the incident and took a range of effective actions. These actions have ensured that staff know how to prevent (or appropriately manage) a similar situation in the future. The impact on the young person was minimal, and she was not harmed. Due to the prompt action of the registered manager, no further incidents of this nature have occurred.

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

Recruitment procedures are effective, and the home is safe. The registered manager has worked with neighbours to secure a barn that was a potential safety hazard for young people. Staff and the registered manager work with other professionals including the police, clinicians, social workers and education staff to keep young people safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager provide strong leadership and effective management to the staff team. They are dynamic, child focused and innovative. Staff said that they love working at the home and feel strongly supported by managers and Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 6 the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager responded positively to the requirements from the last inspection and now ensures that staff receive supervision which is regular and reflective. Staff appraisals are up to date. Team meetings provide staff with opportunities to contribute ideas and to share good practice. Staff knowledge is tested and challenged by team quizzes. These enable staff to gain a good understanding of the model of care used in the home, the quality standards and the children’s homes’ regulations. The positive impact of these developments is evident in the staff’s effective work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager proactively develops the staff team. She is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each staff member and has plans in place to drive up standards further. For example, the key worker role now includes an expectation that key workers contact social workers and parents by phone once a month to share updates on the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers and independent reviewing officers praised the registered manager and the team. They provide positive feedback about the care provided to young people, the quality of communication and the progress that young people make. One social work team manager commented that the staff provide ‘a confident team around the child, nurturing and efficient’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well run, files are in good order and recording is up to date. All documentation is of a good quality. Records are all ‘live’ documents that are updated daily as staff learn new things about the young people. Staff work effectively with other professionals including the police, education staff and the clinical team to meet the young people’s needs.

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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: SC480318 7 Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 8

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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

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Dawn Bennett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480318 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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