Children's home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 1 SC372664 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. Children come to live at the home because of family or placement breakdowns. Some children have experienced abuse. The registered manager has been in post since 2008, and holds a national vocational qualification at level 4 in care and management. She also manages another registered children’s home, which is situated nearby. The registered manager’s time is shared between both homes, depending on the needs, demands and circumstances of each service.

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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 outstanding

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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: 14 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2018 Full Outstanding 24/10/2017 Full Outstanding 27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young person, who has complex needs, loves living here and said it is his home. Exceptionally caring and committed staff provide him with highly effective individualised care. They give him with a secure and safe base from which to develop and move successfully towards increasing independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young person enjoys warm and trusting relationships with staff, and can rely on them to understand and meet his needs. He has a lot of fun with the staff, who enthusiastically celebrate his achievements and support his interests. He expresses himself confidently and said that staff listen to him and support him to achieve what he wants. The young person strongly values the nurture that staff provide, while recognising that he is not a child anymore. He has made exceptional progress and has a stable foundation for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young person’s focus is now on his future independence. He expresses some anxiety about the future, and is sometimes understandably reluctant to make the changes that he needs to. However, he trusts staff to help him to move on with individualised, carefully planned support. Strong relationships with the young person enable staff to engage him in a wide range of tasks, including cooking, shopping and travelling on buses. This work helps him to feel confident, and develops his social skills and his ability to think for himself.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff completed a creative and outstanding piece of independence work with the young person, which enabled him to make significant progress. Staff took him to Belfast to take part in a football tournament. They used this as an opportunity to guide him to achieve several complex independence tasks. Working skilfully, staff enabled the young person to research and plan the route and travel arrangements, weigh suitcases for the flight, exchange money and apply for the documents that he needed for the trip. This helped him to learn several new skills and apply them during a demanding and exciting experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have an in-depth understanding of the young person’s needs and provide him with excellent support. The young person enjoys free time with his friends and takes responsibility for himself in the community, safe in the knowledge that staff are there to help him if needed. Staff recognise that the young person’s developing independence holds many challenges for him. They sensitively engage him in challenging discussions about the difficulties and risks, as well as the benefits, of independence. They strongly support him to see his family regularly and recognise that these relationships are crucial to his success after he leaves the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are aspirational for the young person. They encouraged and supported him to identify and apply for a college course which fits with his interest in animal care and allows him to continue to study additional subjects. He is making excellent progress because of the support that he receives from staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 4 Staff ensure that the young person’s health needs are met by supporting him to make and keep important health appointments. The registered manager liaises well with clinical services to ensure that appropriate assessments are undertaken and suitable support is provided. She is a strong advocate for the young person and is committed to making sure that he is fully supported as he moves into adulthood. The young person’s social worker talked extremely positively about the care that he receives and feels that the staff have done a remarkable job.

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

Staff are highly trained and keep the young person exceptionally safe. The young person confirmed this, as did his social worker. Staff have helped the young person to make significant progress so that he can now safely spend ‘free time’ outside the home. Vigilant staff have developed highly effective, creative strategies to make sure that he is safe and feels comfortable. These include identifying key words that he can use with staff on the phone if he is in difficulty and needs help. The young person is happy to keep in touch with staff and ask for help should he need it. The excellent work that staff undertake with him on an ongoing basis has led to a significant growth in his self- confidence and his ability to make sound decisions for himself.

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

Staff undertake effective, skilful work, to help the young person to understand how to keep himself safe. Staff are fully aware of young people’s vulnerability to exploitation and have focused on this topic with him. He now knows how to recognise and respond appropriately to risks that he may face in the community when he leaves the home. Staff creatively use a range of tools, including online videos, to successfully engage the young person in discussions about relevant subjects such as internet safety, criminal exploitation, drugs, gangs and county lines.

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

The small, highly supportive and consistent staff team provides the young person with clear routines and boundaries that he can use when he leaves the home. These give him the structure and security that he needs, reduce his anxiety and help him to avoid people who may be a risk to him. Staff are reflective. They skilfully provide the right balance between supporting the young person, allowing him to develop his independence and safeguarding him.

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

The registered manager regularly reviews the young person’s detailed risk assessments and behaviour support plans. These documents are extremely well written and accurately reflect the young person’s safeguarding needs. Staff follow these plans and involve the young person in identifying the support that he needs.

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

The young person does not go missing, does not self-harm and is not subject to exploitation or radicalisation. He has not been subject to bullying and is kept exceptionally safe at home and in college.

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

Recruitment practices are safe, and the home is very well maintained. Staff work closely together and with college staff to identify and respond to any risks. They also have Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 5 access to an up-to-date locality risk assessment. This was written in consultation with the local police and provides staff with clear strategies and important information. This helps them to understand concerns in the local community and reduce risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The highly experienced registered manager is committed to the young person and focused on his needs. She is proactive and passionate about providing the young person with a consistently high standard of care. She constantly works hard to identify areas for development and to drive up standards even further. Dedicated staff feel strongly supported by the registered manager and by each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the strengths and areas for development in her team. She has creatively made changes to staff supervision sessions to make them more challenging and focused on increasing staff competence and confidence. Enthusiastic staff said that that they are learning all the time. The staff are currently focusing on the children’s homes regulations and quality standards, and how they/the home can meet these more effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Excellent communication with each other and with other professionals is a key strength of the staff team. Staff have strong, effective relationships with social workers, teachers and psychologists. This ensures that all professionals work together and have a clear understanding of the issues facing the young person and how best to meet his needs. The registered manager works closely with the young person’s placing authority. She is not afraid to challenge decisions and advocates for him strongly. This ensures that his voice is heard and that his wishes and feelings about his future are responded to appropriately. Staff have arranged for him to have an independent advocate, helped him look for local accommodation and supported his wish to remain at the home after his 18th birthday to finish his college course.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Planning for the young person is extremely detailed. It addresses his current needs, as well as the requirements he will have when he leaves care. Key-work sessions are exceptional in scope and depth and staff are creative and passionate about supporting the young person in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are well trained in a wide range of subjects, including how to work with young people who have autistic spectrum disorder. This enables them to confidently deliver highly personalised care. Managerial monitoring is thorough and evaluative. The registered manager ensures that feedback from the young person, staff and other professionals is gathered and incorporated into her review of the service. This helps her to identify areas for improvement and ways to better meet the young person’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is aware that a long-term and highly successful placement is coming to an end in the coming months. She is appropriately planning how to ensure that the team can provide another young person with the same level of excellent care and the opportunity to make exceptional progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 6

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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: SC372664 7

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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

Louise Whittle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC372664 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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