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

Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 1 SC372652 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2008 and holds a level 4 national vocational qualification in care and management. She also manages another registered children’s home that is situated nearby. The registered manager’s time is shared between the two 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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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: 31 October 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2018 Full Outstanding 23/10/2017 Full Good 14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff protect and promote each child’s welfare; treat each child with dignity and respect. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)) 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(1)(a)(4)(c)) 13/12/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should be made familiar with the home’s internal whistleblowing procedures through the induction process. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9) Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been refurbished to a high standard and is homely, welcoming and full of pictures and music. Staff have high aspirations for the child and provide him with an excellent range of stimulating and fun activities. For example, they support him to be in a basketball team and attend drama classes. These activities support his physical health, emotional well-being, social skills and confidence. He recently performed in a show in London, which was a huge highlight for him and the staff. Staff also arranged for him to have a special trip to meet the stars of his favourite television soap.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Dedicated staff help the child to make significant progress in his ability to control his emotions and behaviour. His health and personal care skills have improved since he moved in. He regularly attends and engages in education, where he is achieving with ongoing support from staff who help him to focus on his work. Staff work closely with teaching staff and are slowly reducing the time that they spend with him in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff skilfully engage the child in key work sessions to discuss complex and challenging issues. These include his anxieties, feelings about school, relationships with his peers and managing his behaviour. Staff help him to see his family regularly, which supports his identity and enables him to learn about his ethnic background from his family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff pay close attention to all the child’s health and development needs. Managers and staff engage with other professionals when this is required, to make sure that the child’s needs are properly assessed and that he receives the support that he needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the child has strong, positive and trusting relationships with caring staff. This enables him to feel settled and secure. All staff now consistently provide clear routines and boundaries for the child, which supports his emotional well-being and behaviour. However, for a short period of time the child had a negative experience with one staff member. Other staff supported the child well and attempted, unsuccessfully, to challenge the staff member. When the child made a complaint to the registered manager, she responded immediately and effectively. The child is clear that the registered manager addressed his concerns and feels that she listened to him and supported him well. He is happy with his staff team and feels he can talk to the team members about things that worry him, as well as having fun with them. The behaviour of one staff member had a negative impact on what has otherwise been an excellent

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

experience for the child of living in the home. This incident has not had a negative impact on his ability to form trusting relationships with the rest of the staff group. However, staff acknowledge that they should have escalated their concerns to the registered manager more quickly. In addition, the registered manager did not notify Ofsted of the concern that the child raised. Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 5

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

Highly trained staff keep the child safe. He has become increasingly safe as his ability to regulate his own feelings and behaviour has increased. High staffing levels ensure that he feels secure, which reduces his anxieties. Staff know him very well and understand potential risks and triggers. Staff use effective strategies to support his behaviour and monitor his moods closely.

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

Positive relationships with the child mean that staff seldom need to use physical intervention. When he moved into the home, restraint had been a regular occurrence in order to keep him safe. The child is not thought to be subject to exploitation, bullying or radicalisation. Staff skilfully undertake work with him about potential risks. This helps him to learn how to keep himself safe and to understand important issues including sexual health and healthy relationships.

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

The child does not go missing. He will sometimes walk away from the home when he wants to be alone. Staff understand this, and they follow him to ensure that he is safe and does not go missing. They ensure his safe return to the home and recognise the need to balance his developing need for independence with the potential risks to him in the community. Staff liaise closely with his social worker to share any concerns.

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

Staff are aware of how to work with children who have food allergies or intolerances. Staff are well trained in safeguarding, including in important topics such as ligature use, self-harm and medication.

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

Recruitment practice is safe, and the home is well maintained. The registered manager regularly reviews individual risk assessments, which are shared with staff who also have access to an up-to-date locality risk assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed, and the registered manager is child focused. She ensures that staff receive regular supervision which is reflective and provides an opportunity to learn. Staff love working here and feel strongly supported by the registered manager and each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings, which are well attended and recorded, help staff to have an in-depth understanding of the children’s homes regulations and the quality standards. This benefits the child. Staff are reflective and understand the child’s needs. Communication between staff is a strength, which enables them to provide consistent care and respond effectively to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is fully aware of the strengths and areas for development in her team and has plans to further enhance staff skills and knowledge. She consults with the child, staff, social workers and other professionals to gather information to support the development of the service. A teacher provided very positive feedback, which recognised that staff ‘go above and beyond and make a significant difference to [the child’s] ability Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 6 to engage’. The registered manager also uses feedback from the independent visitor to inform her review of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager regularly reviews the child’s plans. This ensures that they are in keeping with the child’s need and that staff have access to up-to-date information. Staff send the social worker weekly updates on the child’s progress and give the social worker opportunities to discuss any issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recording is generally of good quality. However, the child’s file does not include the minutes of the latest looked after review. This means that staff may not have read the updated plan for the child. There is no evidence that this has had a negative impact on the care of the child.

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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: SC372652 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: SC372652 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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