Children's Home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC366107 1 SC366107 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group 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

This home is operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties and who may also have a learning disability. The company has its own school and a therapeutic team.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2011 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 21 January 2019

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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: SC366107 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2019 Full Outstanding 20/02/2018 Full Outstanding 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC366107 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children live in a warm and highly nurturing environment that feels like their home. Staff work hard to ensure that children enjoy high-quality meals, which are always cooked from scratch, and that meal times are a social occasion. Staff offer lavish praise when children successfully cook themselves a nutritious meal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to personalise their bedrooms. One child has chosen to prominently display large Scotland flags in his bedroom to reflect his Scottish heritage. Another younger child’s bedroom is filled with his toys and action figures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff and managers work closely with the in-house psychologists to draw up detailed behaviour plans and implement routines that help children to overcome their significant challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When the time is right, staff support children to acquire skills that will help them to live independently. Staff encourage children to follow a bespoke independence programme which carefully considers their strengths and weaknesses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make excellent educational progress. For example, one child made exceptional progress at school and is now studying A levels at the local college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are in good physical health and are helped by staff to attend their health appointments. Staff talk with children about their sexual health and about healthy relationships. Staff are resourceful. For example, they have used research to help them to support one child who has a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to better understand the impact this condition has on his behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children to stay in touch with their families and people who are important to them.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need for vigilance so that children stay safe. Staff understand the risks for children from child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and gang culture. Staff follow well-informed risk assessments and behaviour management plans, which are specific about what action needs to be taken to keep children safe.

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development of independent living skills. As a result, children are supported to develop the essential skills that they need to make safe decisions.

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

Staff are extremely competent in identifying triggers and antecedents to children’s challenging behaviours. Staff use personalised diversion techniques to help to distract Inspection report children’s home: SC366107 4 children and refocus their attention. For example, one child, who has recently left the home, was encouraged to use a punch bag to help him to stay calm. Another child has access to a sensory box that helps them to refocus their attention on other things.

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

Staff only use physical restraint as a last resort. Following an incident of restraint, staff quickly repair their relationship with the child. When the time is right, staff arrange a more in-depth discussion to better understand the triggers for children’s behaviours.

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

Staff follow well-developed strategies that help them to keep children safe online. Staff are highly vigilant and skilled in understanding the risks that children can face. They constantly talk with children about these risks and they use research to help to educate children about the legal implications of things like ‘sexting’ and sharing inappropriate images.

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

When safeguarding issues arise, staff are highly effective in working with key agencies such as the police, children’s social workers and the youth offending service to help to educate children and to prevent them from becoming criminalised.

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

Staff deal with unkind behaviour from children swiftly and effectively. They promote positive relationships in the home by talking about the tensions that can arise with group living in individual discussions and in-house meetings.

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

Thoughtful matching when new children move into the home and close staff supervision help to ensure that there are no concerns about bullying.

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

Staff complete regular health and safety checks and fire drills. The home is safely located, and the manager has consulted all agencies to ensure that all risks are considered. This means that children are exceptionally safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has an in-depth knowledge of the children and will advocate strongly for them with key agencies. For example, the manager advocated for a child to enable him to see his parent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive high-value supervision and an annual appraisal. New staff receive a thorough and in-depth induction, which includes twice-monthly reflective supervision. During supervision, the manager celebrates the achievements of staff and identifies areas for development. This means that the staff team remains motivated despite dealing with some very challenging situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive regular training opportunities. All staff receive training in first aid, child sexual exploitation and Prevent. Additionally, staff receive training to meet children’s individual needs, such as in ADHD and anger management. Inspection report children’s home: SC366107 5 Managers recruit staff using rigorous recruitment and assessment procedures. This means that only the most suitable staff are recruited to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There has been one occasion when staff did not follow the company’s policy and safeguarding procedures. Managers acted swiftly to deal with this shortfall in staff practice. There was no impact on the child concerned.

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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: SC366107 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Reflexion Care Group Ltd, Black Birches, Hadnall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 3DH

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC366107 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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