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

Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 1 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home was registered by Ofsted on 14 May 2018. The service is owned by a private company. The home is registered to accommodate up to three children. Children come to live at the home as a result of family or placement breakdown.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since the home opened. He is currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management of residential childcare.

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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: 12 September 2018

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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: 1276010 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy living in this home and benefit from having positive relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a ‘never give up’ attitude and try hard to help young people to attend school. This includes finding creative ways to help young people to re-engage in learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are helped to make lifelong memories. For example, staff have made it possible for one young person to be able to travel on an aeroplane for the first time. Another young person enjoyed his birthday party with his friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The keeping of pets is embraced in this home. One young person enjoys caring for his pet guinea pig. Young people enjoy helping to care for the registered manager’s own dog. This often includes walking the dog. As a result, young people learn the skills involved in, and the importance of, caring for pets and giving them regular exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s views are listened to and acted on. For example, one young person wanted to move to another bedroom, and another young person requested a gaming chair and a rug for his bedroom. These requests have been met. As a result, young people feel valued and consulted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that the home’s environment is welcoming. There are pictures of the young people proudly displayed around the home and the garden is well maintained. However, the carpet in the hallway is showing signs of wear and tear.

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

Staff are good at identifying antecedents to young people’s challenging behaviours. This helps staff to use diversion techniques to help to distract young people. As a result, incidents rarely escalate.

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

The manager has a good oversight of staff practice and recordings. As a result, staff have been helped to reflect on their practice and to make improvements when necessary.

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

Staff receive training on safeguarding. This includes acquiring knowledge about risks associated with radicalisation, extremism, child sexual exploitation and about the ‘Prevent’ duty. However, staff have not received training in understanding more about county lines. It is acknowledged that there are no concerns about the current young people living at the home being at risk of becoming involved in county lines. Nevertheless, this gap in staff receiving specific training represents a missed opportunity to help increase staff knowledge. Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 4 Complaints and allegations are investigated, and good partnership working helps to ensure that young people are safeguarded.

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

Managers mostly follow safe recruitment practice. However, on one occasion managers failed to follow up on one member of staff’s period of living abroad. This has the potential to compromise the level of rigour given to safe recruitment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has clear aspirations to ensure that young people continue to make progress in all areas of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff try hard to build lasting relationships with young people. For example, when young people leave the home, the staff make sure that they keep in touch.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager continues to develop the service. For example, there is now a better induction in place for new senior staff, physical restraints are now being recorded in line with regulation and staff are being helped to ensure that they record incidents in a way that is helpful to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff promote equality and diversity in all aspects of their care of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are complimentary about the level of communication that they receive from the staff. This good communication ensures that young people receive the right help at the right time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are not receiving regular supervision in line with the company’s policy. Consequently, there has been a missed opportunity to offer staff any additional support and guidance that they may need. Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 5

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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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities

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Recommendations

and resources to support their training needs, and the registered person should also understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11). Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1276010 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: Bryn Melyn House, 3 Hawksworth Road, Central Park, Telford, Shropshire TF2 9TU

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1276010 8 to 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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