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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 1

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Reflexion Care Group Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who have suffered adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. Children may have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and forms part of a large social care organisation, which offers an education service and therapeutic support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since June 2017. She is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place in response to concerns noted in the safeguarding notifications sent to Ofsted. These included concerns about the compatibility of some children admitted to the home.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Recently, one child moved into the home. The quality of the information provided by the placing local authority, prior to the child moving in, was identified by managers as a factor which affected the planning for this placement. However, once the child was in the placement, there was a delay in the registered manager seeking information from the child’s previous placement to better understand the child’s needs. The registered manager recognises that there were missed opportunities to get the information needed to inform the care planning for this child.

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This monitoring visit

Despite this, the child initially settled well and formed positive relationships with staff and the one other child who already lived at the home. However, after approximately four weeks another child was moved into the home. The needs of this child and those children living in the home were not compatible. After a brief period, staff began to struggle to manage the competing demands of the children. This resulted Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 2 in children often eating their meals separately and staff having to lock doors to prevent children from injuring each other.

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This monitoring visit

A child, who no longer lives in the home, told his social worker that because staff repeatedly locked the doors that he felt like the home was, ‘Not open.’ The same social worker was told by staff that due to the measures in place to manage the child’s behaviours, that the home did not feel homely.

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This monitoring visit

A recent report from the independent visitor identified that the unsettled home environment may have been a contributing factor to one child’s increase in self- harming behaviours. A child, who still lives in the home told the inspector that they felt scared and anxious during this recent period.

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This monitoring visit

Staff struggled to manage the behaviours of children. This resulted in the frequent use of physical restraint. For one child, this included the regular use of floor-based holds. The registered managers oversight and evaluation of physical interventions does not clearly set out why the use of floors holds was proportionate.

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This monitoring visit

A child’s social worker was of the view that some of the physical interventions were not always necessary and in their opinion were being used before other strategies were considered. The child’s social worker identified that the child’s previous placements had not needed to use two-to-one staff or use floor holds regularly.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager told inspectors that these holds were used because of the risk of harm to staff. However, the records of the physical interventions including the manager’s oversight did not clearly record why the use of floor holds was required or proportionate. Furthermore, the child’s behaviour support plan does not contain any clear guidance for staff on what steps to take to prevent the need for a restraint or the circumstance in which a ground hold should be used.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not always follow agreed strategies to manage children’s known risks. For example, staff failed to supervise one child in line with his risk assessment during a community-based activity. This resulted in an incident where another child was at potential risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Recently a social worker has shared concerns about the care being provided to one child with the independent person. This information was sent by email. These concerns were not documented in the independent person’s subsequent reports. The provider was not aware of the correspondence between the social worker and independent person prior to Ofsted’s visit. Furthermore, following Ofsted’s visit, the independent person has advised the provider that they never received the email correspondence from the social worker. It is not clear why this email was not received.

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This monitoring visit

Following a decision for one child to be moved to another home, the registered manager and staff worked with the social worker and child to support his move. The transition was well planned, and the child settled quickly in his new home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 3 Following this child leaving the home, there has been a more settled period. One child spoken to by the inspector said that they felt supported by staff. The child told the inspector, ‘Looking back, there has been a lot more positives than negatives. Everyone is really supportive. I’d say I’m a lot calmer than when I first came. I was really unsettled; they [staff] helped me to settle.’ This child has made progress in several aspects of his life while living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The other child currently living in the home also says that, since his peer left the home, they have felt increasingly safe and settled. This child is developing positive relationships with staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have worked hard to promote children’s education throughout COVID-19 (coronavirus). As a result, one child has made significant progress with her education. Staff have developed strong and effective relationships with the child’s teachers, and they share information daily. A headteacher told the inspector, ‘This home is up there with the very best I have worked with. Staff communication is excellent. When she [child] first arrived, she presented us with a lot of challenges. However, she has made major progress.’

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/11/2019 Full Outstanding 16/10/2018 Full Outstanding 14/11/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s plans include the strategies to manage children’s behaviours. Where relevant this will include when the use of measure of control such as floor restraints can be used, and what steps staff should take to avoid the need for such measures of control. 5 April 2021

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to 5 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 5 protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff understanding and managing the risks associated with each child and ensuring that they follow the agreed strategies to keep children safe. The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager considering and acting on, all relevant information to inform the care planning for children prior to and following a child’s placement in the home. 5 April 2021

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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

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Requirement Due date

child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child;

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 5 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 6 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 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 (1)(a) (b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii) (c)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records of physical restraint contain sufficient information to demonstrate why a particular hold has been used, the effectiveness of this, and the steps taken to avoid the need to use a restraint.

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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: 1227596 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Ltd

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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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Inspectors

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227596 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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