Children's home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 1

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Bryn Melyn Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children with learning disabilities. A private provider operates the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since June 2020. However, a new manager has been in post since August 2020. She has submitted her application to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

On 14 January 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. This visit was completed following complaints received by Ofsted. Due to the concerns identified during this visit, a notice of restriction of accommodation was issued. Compliance notices were also issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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Information about this children’s home

On 13 February 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. Compliance notices were reissued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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Information about this children’s home

On 2 April 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. The compliance notices were considered to have been met and the notice of restriction of accommodation was lifted.

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Information about this children’s home

On 26 May 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. The visit was completed following a complaint received by Ofsted. Due to the concerns identified during this visit, a notice of restriction of accommodation was issued. Compliance notices were also issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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Information about this children’s home

On 1 July 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. The compliance notices were considered to have been met. The notice of restriction of accommodation continued to be in place.

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Information about this children’s home

On 18 and 19 August 2020, a monitoring visit was undertaken. Ofsted found that progress continued to be made in a range of areas. As a result, Ofsted lifted the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 2 notice of restriction of accommodation. However, it was acknowledged that improvement work was ongoing. As a result, Ofsted imposed urgent notice to vary the conditions of registration of the home. This reduced the number of children that the provider could supply care and accommodation to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

On 30 September and 1 October 2020, an assurance visit was undertaken. Ofsted did not identify any serious or widespread concerns and found that progress continued to be made in all areas. The imposed urgent condition which reduced the number of children the provider could care for to three remained in place.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to evaluate the provider’s progress following Ofsted’s decision to vary the registration conditions of the home on 18 and 19 August 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have continued to make progress in several areas. This has improved the experiences for children living in this home. As a result, Ofsted is lifting the notice of the imposed condition and the home will revert to the previous registration conditions to be registered to care for eight children.

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This monitoring visit

There are currently two children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. One external professional commented that staff are identifying children’s needs better and recognising their development into adults. As a result, children feel supported and present as being settled in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff continue to promote the importance of education for children. Both children have full-time school placements and attend regularly. One child has been experiencing some recent difficulties transitioning into a new class at school. As a result, she informed an inspector that care staff are helping her at school and provide support when she is upset. This reassurance helps to maintain the child’s attendance and engagement with her education.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work with health professionals to support the needs of children. This means children take prescribed medication relating to their medical needs. However, there are some concerns in the way staff have administered and stored children’s medication. On one occasion, staff failed to administer a child’s medication. The staff member recognised this error and promptly followed up actions with health professionals. The home’s manager investigated this further and acted to address the shortfall. On a different occasion, following an unforeseen incident in the community, another child was able to access medication which the staff member had not stored securely. This shortfall had an impact on the potential safety of the child. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 3 Staff have continued to make improvements to the décor and maintenance of the building to make it a homely environment for children. The responsible individual has

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This monitoring visit

included the children in these plans. Initially, one child was not happy with the changes but informed the inspector that she likes the house tidier now. This approach helps children to feel supported and settled in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of children’s risk assessments is improving. Children’s risks are identified and captured well. However, some risk assessments do not have clear behaviour management plans in place for staff to follow. During a significant incident for one child, staff were slow to respond and intervene to maintain her safety. This shortfall had an impact on the safety of the child.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last visit, there have been two incidents when staff used physical interventions to keep children safe. Inspectors identified shortfalls in the recording of and the process following the physical interventions. During one incident, the record did not contain a description of the measure used by staff and the timing of events and location were unclear. Following another incident, the manager has not spoken to the staff about the measure used to confirm that the details are accurate. The manager has also not sought the views of the child about the physical intervention. This prevents managers from being able to review incidents effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The home is adequately staffed to meet the needs of the children. The manager ensures that there is a qualified member of staff on each shift to lead and support the team. Staff receive a wide range of training which is specific and relevant to the needs of the children in the home. In addition, a clinical team, which includes a newly appointed speech and language therapist, now provides consultation to the staff. Managers and staff have not yet fully embedded the clinical model into their practice. However, this demonstrates that staff are increasing their skills to understand and care for the children living in the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/08/2019 Full Good 11/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/04/2018 Full Good 05/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 4

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)) 14/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that -

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to -

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 14/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. 14/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 5 In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(c)) 14/12/2020

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 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: Bryn Melyn House, 3 Hawksworth Road, Central Park, Telford, Shropshire TF2 9TU

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Inspectors

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1255147 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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