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

Inspection report children's home: 1213416 1 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for two children with a variety of complex needs. A private provider operates the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1213416 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2019 Full Outstanding 15/11/2018 Full Good 31/01/2018 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: 1213416 3

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outstanding

Children feel a sense of belonging when they move into the home. Welcome packs, video tours of the home when visits have not been possible and personalised bedrooms help to allay children’s anxieties. One child has recently moved in. She explained that when the staff came to visit her before she moved, she asked for a bright pink bedroom, which was ready for her when she arrived. This is reassuring to children and shows that staff value them. In addition, it is helpful in enabling children to begin to develop positive and trusting relationships with staff.

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points. Children who have experienced adverse experiences now feel safe, supported and reassured. They progress in all aspects of their lives due to receiving high levels of nurture and having trusting relationships with staff. One of the children told the inspector how much staff have helped her and that she recognises she is now more mature. A child also described her experience of living at the home as ‘amazing’ and said, ‘It has given me a proper childhood.’

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outstanding

Staff encourage children to develop their independence skills and when the time is right to seek part-time employment and spend time with friends in the community. This gives children confidence in their abilities and a sense of pride in their achievements. Social workers and family members commented on how supportive staff have been in teaching children invaluable life skills and preparing them brilliantly for their next steps.

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outstanding

Staff undertake high-quality reflective and purposeful work to ensure that the voice of each child is heard. Through informal conversations, house meetings, key-work sessions and consultation questionnaires, staff sensitively help children to open up and talk about their wishes and feelings. Children told the inspector that they feel listened to and can go to staff with any concerns. A child described the staff as ‘like family’. The inspector observed warm, reciprocal and very natural interactions between staff and children and between children.

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outstanding

Staff value children’s relationships with their families, encouraging children to make phone calls when families live a long distance away. Children see that staff value the importance of them spending time with grandparents and siblings at the home when this is possible and make every effort to make this enjoyable. Staff help and support children to make these relationships positive and memorable. This support allows children to sustain meaningful relationships with people who are important to them.

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outstanding

Staff help children to explore their culture, identity and heritage. One child is currently exploring their sexuality, gender identity and faith. Staff have researched and updated their own understanding to be able to help the child explore their Inspection report children's home: 1213416 4 feelings. Excellent, well-informed support is helping this child to be proud of who they are.

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outstanding

Staff help children to attend routine health appointments and to access more specialised services when needed. Children enjoy a balanced diet and take part in a range of leisure activities. They make the most of local facilities, go to drama clubs, and enjoy trips to theme parks and going on holidays. Children enjoy good physical health and have fun.

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outstanding

During a period when children had to self-isolate due to COVID-19, staff engaged the children creatively in activities. For example, they enjoyed a barbecue and restored some furniture. A child described this period as ‘bearable and fun in the end!’

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outstanding

Children engage well with education when previously this has been a concern. One child is attending a local school and another is accessing a carpentry course at college. This child told the inspector, ‘If you had said two years ago, I would pass my GCSEs and been attending college, I would have laughed at you, but I have and it’s all down to the amazing staff here.’

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outstanding

The manager and staff take their safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. Children experience exceptional levels of safety planning and stability, due to consistently implemented, personalised and child-centred risk assessments. The manager and staff use research-informed practice to identify, assess and plan to reduce risk. For example, one child’s worries about their sexuality and gender identify led to incidents of self-harm. The staff have sensitively and creatively helped the child develop coping strategies and communication tools to express their feelings in a safer way. In addition, they are supporting them to accept and celebrate who they are. This work is having a very positive impact on this child’s well-being and safety.

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outstanding

Children say that they feel happy, well supported and safe living at the home. Children’s views about the home and their care are listened to and acted on. This helps children to feel valued and know that their views are taken seriously. It also contributes to them feeling safe and well looked after. One child has recently started college and entered into a relationship. The staff have had conversations and met with the child’s family to enable both children to experience an age-appropriate relationship safely and happily.

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outstanding

Staff receive training to raise their knowledge and awareness of how best to safeguard children. Staff are committed to training because the manager makes sure that this is a priority. They implement this learning in their day-to-day practice. Staff have received specialised training to help them to know how to respond to incidents of self-harm, including ligatures. This promotes children’s safety and ensures that Inspection report children's home: 1213416 5 presenting risks of children arriving at the home are considered and staff have the skills to mitigate those risks.

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outstanding

Staff are very experienced and highly skilled. They respond promptly and thoroughly to safeguarding issues. They work very closely with the police and social workers when they develop risk management plans. These plans are carefully tailored to the children’s individual needs.

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outstanding

Children are also supported to know how to keep safe and to take age-appropriate risks. Staff enable children to build resilience and skills which support their development. One child is enjoying spending time in the community with friends which would not have been safe previously. Staff enable children to take positive risks in a safe and supportive way.

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outstanding

The home is safely located. The manager ensures that the location risk assessment is shared with professionals and he regularly liaises with the police about any risks in the local community. Regular health and safety checks and fire drills mean that the children live in a safe and suitable home.

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outstanding

Recruitment of new staff is thorough and ensures that all necessary background checks have been carried out. This means that only adults with appropriate employment histories are able to work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The care that children receive and their outcomes are excellent because of the support that they receive from staff. Staff practice is built on an in-depth knowledge and implementation of policies and procedures. These are consistently reinforced through effective induction and probation, mandatory and refresher training, annual appraisals and focused team meetings. Staff supervision sessions are held by the manager and senior staff, which are reflective, supportive and empower staff to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When incidents of concern do occur, staff manage these in a very well-coordinated and professional way. Children receive intensive support from staff to alleviate their concerns. Staff are clear and self-assured in how to meet the children’s individual needs. Managers and staff robustly challenge professionals when required, including challenging the placing authority about transitions and their outcomes. For one child, this meant a change in their future plans, which was more in line with the child’s wishes and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has an excellent relationship with the children. He spends time with them and advocates for them when needed. He talks proudly of their progress and achievements. He listens and responds to children’s views on the home’s development and their own goals and progress. One child told the inspector how the manager had supported them to start attending their care reviews and how they now feel confident to talk about their own life and aspirations to key people involved in their life. Inspection report children's home: 1213416 6 The manager has strong oversight of the effectiveness of the care being delivered. Due to high-quality internal monitoring processes implemented by the manager, any issues raised are swiftly responded to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff work effectively and in partnership with a range of professionals. These professionals give them high praise for the positive impact their care and support is having on children’s lives. They see that children’s confidence and self-esteem is growing. One independent reviewing officer told the inspector, ‘The progress for the young person has been fantastic. They have passed GCSEs and are now working towards independence and attending college.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager reviews and updates key documents such as the home’s statement of purpose. However, due to an oversight, the most recent version has not been received by Ofsted. This is a shortfall that the registered manager addressed immediately. Inspection report children's home: 1213416 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should send a copy of the home’s statement of purpose to Ofsted when it is reviewed and updated. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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: 1213416 8

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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: Fitzroy Academy, Cruckton, Shrewsbury SY5 8PR

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Inspector

James Tallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1213416 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 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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