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 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 in complex or in urgent situations when it’s become no longer possible for them to live with their families, carers or in another home.

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 6 November 2019 to carry out an inspection. The report is published on our website.

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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: 6 November 2019

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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: SC372652 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Outstanding 23/10/2017 Full Good 14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a fun and welcoming house which is homely for the child to live in. They display photographs which create memories of the years that the child has lived in the home. This supports the child’s sense of belonging. As a result of the care which staff deliver, the child is continuing to make excellent progress from his starting point. In recognition of this, the registered manager recently reduced the staffing ratio for this child. The child is proud of this achievement. In addition, he receives continuing encouragement from staff and his teachers as he shares his aspirations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff act as good role models for the child. The child responds well to structured care and he now adopts routines set by staff without their prompting. His personal care is excellent and helps to maintain his good physical and mental health. Staff speak proudly of this child’s increasing maturity and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child’s social development by facilitating his attendance at basketball and drama clubs. Staff also take the child to the library, as he is an avid reader, and support his engagement in Duke of Edinburgh scheme activities at school. The child’s school recognises the contribution staff make in supporting the child’s progress, for example, ‘they have a good understanding of (the child’s) strengths and needs, and are invested in supporting his continued development socially, emotionally and academically.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent care and build trusting relationships with the child. This enables them to skilfully talk about challenging subjects, including maintaining respectful relationships, staying safe and sexual development. Staff successfully find opportunities to have reflective conversations with the child which help him to understand and regulate his emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child shares his views about the home and participates in decisions about his care. When the child felt that a member of staff had not accepted his accounts following two incidents, he complained to the registered manager. For a short period, this impacted negatively on the child’s experience living in this home. However, the registered manager acted swiftly and decisively to address the child’s complaint. He says that he has felt listened to.

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

Staff keep the child living in this home safe. They know the child’s risks and always follow guidance from the registered manager. The registered manager updates risk assessments when there has been a significant event. This gives staff a clear understanding of how to respond to changes, such as the reduced staffing ratio, and to continue to deliver good care to safeguard the child. Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 4 Staff consistently maintain established routines, including the monitoring of the child’s mobile phone use, to ensure that the child is safe. They minimise risks to the child’s health within the home, and they work effectively to ensure that he always has the medication required to keep him well.

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

Staff use a research informed model of care to meet the emotional needs of the child living in this home. This helps staff to anticipate the child’s behaviour and to use strategies to engage successfully to avoid an incident.

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

Staff recognise that the child seeks space to reflect and to manage his emotions. They respond proactively if he walks away from the home, and they are successful in helping him to return quickly and safely.

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

Staff manage inappropriate behaviour through natural consequences which help the child to take responsibility and to learn from his behaviour. They rarely need to use physical intervention to manage the child’s behaviour. During an isolated incident, staff did not record their actions as effectively as they could have done, and their records did not give a consistent account of events. In addition, the registered manager did not debrief all staff involved in the physical intervention. The registered manager has not, therefore, evaluated the accuracy of the record and the effectiveness of the measures taken by staff.

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

Staff are safely recruited. They are trained in important topics, such as ligature cutting, self-harm and medication administration. Staff know how to keep children safe through agreed safeguarding processes, including reporting concerns by whistle-blowing. Staff are, therefore, suitable and have the knowledge required to work with the child living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high aspirations for the child in her care. She advocates for him and actively pursues opportunities to enhance his experiences. Her passion energises her staff team who also strive for the best outcomes for the child in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a strong clear vision for the further development of the home. She consults with the child but has not always successfully sought the views of others to assist her in the development plan for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads by example. She constantly reinforces the research informed model of care. This guides staff to respond in a consistent way and achieves successful outcomes for the child living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff describe the registered manager as creative in her advice and always available for support. The registered manager recognises the work staff do to improve experiences for the child. Staff, consequently, feel valued and supported. Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 5 During the COVID-19 pandemic, the registered manager developed ‘Every mind matters’ booklets for the child and staff. She recognises the impact of the pandemic and supports the child and the staff to maintain positive mental health through accessing resources and mindfulness techniques.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager communicates effectively with people important to the child. She collaborates when making important decisions to show the child that everyone is working together with a shared aim.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When necessary, the registered manager acts promptly to ensure that the child feels listened to and has the best opportunity to maintain his progress. As a result of her actions, the child is settled and continues to meet his goals. Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 6

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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

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

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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff recording details of a measure of control and the registered manager’s evaluation of the accuracy of the record and its effectiveness. 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure consultation with children, parents, stakeholders and staff serves as independent scrutiny and feeds into the action plan for continuous improvement of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping by accurately recording events when writing an incident report and when maintaining the log book (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC372652 8

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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: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspector

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC372652 9 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 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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