Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 1 SC411142 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 one child who exhibits complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of this home has been in post since May 2018 and registered with Ofsted in July 2018. She is currently working to complete the 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 24 October 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2018 Full Good 19/06/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. Staff sensitively supported her through a very difficult period prior to her leaving care. They successfully kept her safe and enabled her to experience a positive transition onto supported adult living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff then skilfully supported a new child to move into the home. The registered manager and staff team collected detailed information from the child’s parent and key professionals. They also visited the child daily, over a two-week period, to begin to build relationships. They used the information that they had gathered to make him feel welcome when he visited the home with his mum, and when he moved in. For example, staff decorated his bedroom in a panda theme, his favourite animal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child is now making outstanding progress because of living at this home. He benefits from caring, intuitive staff, and has developed very positive relationships with them. He receives consistent care from the very small staff team and he trusts them all. Their understanding of his needs is exceptional, and they are clearly committed to supporting him to progress further.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support the child to have positive experiences and achieve excellent outcomes. They are proud of his progress and celebrate all of his milestones and successes. Prior to moving into the home, he had not attended school for eight months. He is now in full-time education. His attendance and progress are outstanding. Before he moved in he did not access any activities in the local community. He has now researched clubs and groups and goes to the boys’ brigade every week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are focused on building the child’s confidence and self-esteem further. They are supporting him to learn new skills that enhance his safety and well-being. For example, he has attended a course of swimming lessons and has successfully learned to swim. Staff supported him to attend appointments at the child and adolescent mental health service. A consultant reviewed his medication, and he is no longer taking any of the previously prescribed behaviour management medication. An increase in physical activities and healthy eating also means that he no longer requires other medication.

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

The registered manager and staff always promote the well-being and safety of children. Their working knowledge of safeguarding, self-harm, missing from care, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation is enhanced by good quality training. This ensures that staff are able to meet children’s specific needs and work in partnership with other professionals effectively.

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

Staff know the children well and have excellent insight into the triggers that might result in difficult behaviour or increase the likelihood that a child might not cope with a situation. Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 4 They provide reassurance to children and follow excellent behaviour management strategies to help children to improve their behaviour.

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

Staff skilfully supported a child through her final months at the home, prior to her leaving care. This was a very unsettling and frightening time for her. As a result, staff had to manage the re-emergence of some historical self-harming behaviours. These behaviours were extreme and worrying. Staff worked closely with other professionals when necessary. They successfully ensured her safety and well-being.

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

Staff continue to increase their knowledge and understanding of the child currently living at the home. They continually re-evaluate their practice with the support of a clinician. Incidents are addressed through effective management of the environment and regular discussions with the child. As a result, incidents when the child harms himself have significantly reduced. He is now participating in age-appropriate activities, socialising with peers and participating in community-based events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Outstanding leadership has resulted in a consistent and well-trained staff team. The staff team members cover any sickness or other absence themselves to ensure that children receive consistent care from staff that they know well. The staffing ratios required to support the child currently living in the home have reduced from two-to-one to one-to-one. This means that the team now consists of only six people. Staff are exceptionally positive role models and create a tight-knit, family-orientated environment. This provides the child with a secure, safe, nurturing place to live.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy manager provide excellent leadership to a professional staff team. The registered manager and deputy manager are currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services (residential management pathway). They also manage another registered children’s home, which is situated nearby. Their time is shared between both homes, depending on the needs, demands and circumstances of each service. They manage their time skilfully to ensure excellent oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy manager demonstrate that they value their staff team. They make sure that staff reflect on and develop their practice through highly effective training, supervisions, appraisals and team meetings. A clinician facilitates regular meetings with the staff team and continues to develop their knowledge of the playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy (PACE) model of parenting adopted by the organisation. This has a positive impact on the support that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff team monitor children’s progress effectively and the overall impact that the quality of care has on their experiences. They use reflective practice, research and clinical input to challenge their own practice and introduce new strategies to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff team have an excellent understanding of the strengths of Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 5 the service and the areas for further development. They consult with children, families and other professionals to drive up standards. They use high-quality development plans and internal and external quality assurance systems to monitor and improve their practice and children’s outcomes. When necessary, the registered manager and staff show rigour in challenging other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met. Examples include ensuring that a child accesses full-time education, advocating for a reduction in a child’s medication and championing the needs of a child who moved on into adult care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Oversight from senior managers is highly effective. The responsible individual is actively involved in the development of this service, for example by undertaking reviews on the standard of the home’s environment. The home and garden are already maintained to a good standard. However, the responsible individual is not complacent and produces monthly reports and action plans which continue to raise standards even further.

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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: SC411142 6

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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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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC411142 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 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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